Building Climate Resilient Utilities 2025

China’s National Climate Adaptation Strategy As the clock ticks on the global climate crisis, China has responded with a robust, multi-layered governance framework that places climate resilience at the top of national security and sustainable development priorities. The country’s approach is characterized by a “government- led, enterprise-participating, society-wide co- governance” model, which integrates policy, technology, public awareness and international cooperation to build a comprehensive approach to climate adaptation. China’s utility infrastructure is distinctive in its uneven spatiotemporal distribution of natural resources and significant disparities in regional socioeconomic development. To address this, top-down design is required to strengthen regional coordination and integration. Initiatives such as transmitting electricity from west to east, diverting water from south to north, and constructing large- scale renewable energy bases in arid, desert and wasteland areas – combined with long-distance, cross-regional power transmission in the new power system – exemplify this mutual support strategy. Such measures are effective for enhancing climate resilience at the macro-regional level. A landmark in China’s climate governance was reached in 2022 with the release of the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2035, jointly issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and 16 other ministries.15 This strategy is guided by the principles of “proactive adaptation, systematic coordination and scientific precision”, and it explicitly incorporates climate risk into the national security framework. The strategy sets out clear objectives for enhancing climate resilience across all sectors, emphasizing the need for integrated risk management, technological innovation and cross- sectoral collaboration.2.2 Policy and governance: orchestrating a hybrid government-business response China’s climate adaptation strategy is guided by the principles of proactive adaptation, systematic coordination and scientific precision.Resilience 1.0: a triangular model for the utilities sector FIGURE 3 Finance Mobilizing capital: Funding resilience projects through public investment, financial support and emerging market tools such as green bonds.Governance Strategic integration: Resilience is a top-level policy goal, driving coordination between government and enterprises. Technology Advanced tools: Discrete advanced technologies (e.g. early-warning systems, hardened assets) to improve reaction and decision-making.Resilience 1 .0 Building Climate-Resilient Utilities: Lessons from China and Future Pathways 9