China’s September 2020 pledge to peak its emissions before 2030 and become carbon neutral before 2060 is a momentous objective. It has significant ramifications for future national and global economic and social policies. In this context, the United Nations supports this major shift towards a zero-carbon transition.

This policy brief presents the main conclusions and policy recommendations issued by experts and panellists during the January 2021 United Nations Policy Dialogue co-organized by UNDP and UNEP titled “Acting on COVID-posed challenges: Accelerating the Transition to a Low-carbon Economy”.