Beijing introduces new carbon reduction incentives

Beijing will roll out new carbon credit management measures from Sept. 1 to encourage greater public participation in green and low-carbon activities, the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau recently announced.

The program allows residents to earn carbon credits by using public transport, riding shared bikes, walking and other eco-friendly travel.

These actions are tracked and verified through participating platforms, and the resulting carbon savings — called "carbon assets" — can be traded on the city's carbon market. Proceeds are then distributed to individuals and small businesses as coupons, vouchers, goods or charitable donations.

The rollout builds on earlier efforts to promote low-carbon travel, including the launch of the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) green travel platform in 2019, attracting participation from several travel service companies.

In 2020, the city also developed schemes covering low-carbon commuting, replacing gasoline vehicles with electric ones and reducing emissions through hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The low-carbon commuting scheme alone has involved more than 5.6 million participants and cut carbon emissions by over 400,000 tons to date.

The new measures are expected to translate residents’ green habits into tangible benefits, actively contributing to the city's low-carbon push.