China's green think tanks on the rise

China has the second-most environmental think tanks worldwide, according to a report released in December, underscoring the country's active role in promoting ecological civilization and participating in global environmental governance, experts said in Beijing on Friday.

The Global Environmental Think Tank Development Report 2025 evaluated 896 environmental think tanks across 97 countries. The United States topped the list with 149 think tanks, followed by China with 121.

Europe and North America remain the leading regions for environmental think tanks, while Africa lags behind. "In Africa, governments rarely provide direct funding support for environmental think tanks, and international partners play a crucial role in their development," the report said.

The report ranked the top 100 global environmental think tanks using indicators such as institutional profile, research output, policy engagement and public influence.

While the US had the most entries, China showed strong momentum and ranked third in the number of institutions appearing on the list, with eight included.

Chinese think tanks performed notably well in fields including environmental pollution control, biodiversity and ecosystems, climate change and sustainable development, the report said.

Xia Zuyi, vice-president and secretary-general of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, said environmental think tanks play an irreplaceable role in global climate governance and the energy transition through forward-looking research, professional policy recommendations and broad public influence.

Erik Solheim, former under-secretary-general of the United Nations and co-chair of the Europe-Asia Center, said the report is highly valuable in promoting exchanges and cooperation among environmental think tanks worldwide.

He said the rankings highlight China's commitment to addressing environmental issues and its growing influence in shaping global environmental policies. Solheim urged developed countries to help strengthen the capacities of environmental think tanks in developing nations, which often struggle with funding shortages and limited institutional and research resources.

Peng Bin, former deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences and one of the report's lead authors, attributed the rapid rise of Chinese think tanks to advances in ecological civilization and the development of new types of think tanks with Chinese characteristics.

Ecological civilization is a concept developed and promoted in China that defines sustainable development as human civilization and the natural environment coexisting in harmony and prosperity.

"China's practices in strategic research, technological innovation, policy consultation and social services related to ecological and environmental protection, as well as green development, have provided new insights for the development of global environmental think tanks," Peng said.

The report was published by the Institute for Green Innovation and Development, a science and technology think tank jointly established by Zhejiang University of Technology and the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences.

limenghan@chinadaily.com.cn