ABSTRACT
Urbanization is not only a major driver of economic growth but also responsible for a large share of China’s GHG emission. The Chinese government has realized that although cities are part of the climate change problem they will also need to be part of the solution. This chapter focuses on the role of city governments in China’s multi-layered climate governance and on the mechanisms which support cities’ low-carbon efforts, especially with case study with Shanghai. The emerging low-carbon actors at sub-national level are not only involved in a green competition at the domestic level, but they also try their best to play a gradually more active role in urban sustainable development on the international level. China’s low-carbon pilot cities have structural advantage, tending to be cognitive and exemplary leadership. Finally empirical insights will be discussed against the backdrop of theoretical concepts used in this chapter.
