Objectives

Systematically assess promising net-zero-emission technology options for decarbonising emission-intensive industries in the EU and China, particularly for the iron, steel, and chemical industry, resulting in two up-to-date, open-source, joint technology inventories for the EU and China.

Work closely with industry stakeholders and experts to implement two demonstrations in China, and co-create the six scaling-up paths of technologies for decarbonising emission-intensive industries and for industrial waste heat utilisation in district heating in the EU and China. 

Co-create two technology roadmaps for decarbonising the iron and steel industry and chemical industry for the EU and China and one for industrial waste heat utilisation in district heating in China, including key milestones and enabling conditions for the short and medium term, with industry stakeholders, policymakers, and other non-state actors.

Systematically analyse policies and governance mechanisms for decarbonising the iron, steel, and chemical industry and for scaling up industrial waste heat utilisation in district heating in both countries and international coordination policies and global governance.

Develop the most up-to-date global greenhouse gas and short-lived climate pollutant emission inventories for European countries, China, and emerging economies, including emissions inventories of 47 economic sectors, point-source emissions for iron, steel, and chemistry industries, with high-resolution of 10 km by 10 km. 

Advance established modelling tools capturing the complex economy-energy-land-climate interactions based on the up-to-date emission inventory data and the enhanced representation of technologies and policies for industrial decarbonisation. The framework will capture more than 100 countries/regions and represent at least 60 socio-economic sectors, all emission sources, and multiple energy and land-use technologies.

Systematically identify transformation challenges and opportunities for the net-zero transition in major emitting sectors in the EU and China, explicitly considering cross-sectoral interdependencies, with a strong interactive co-design with sectoral and national-level stakeholders and using the project’s advanced modelling tools.

Derive ambitious, credible and comprehensive net-zero emission pathways for the EU and China, considering the transformation challenges and opportunities, state-of-the-art technology and policy options, up-to-date emission inventories, potential lifestyle changes, and EU-China cooperation mechanisms, while ensuring the EU and China net-zero transition fits into a consistent global framework.

Explicitly assess the broad socio-economic implications of decarbonisation in the EU and China using the state-of-the-art multi-sectoral modelling framework. The analysis will capture the socio-economic challenges and opportunities of net zero transition, focusing on labour market transformations, macro-economic and welfare impacts, and the distributional repercussions for different sectors (more than 60), social groups (income deciles at least), and regions.

Develop an effective mechanism that enables the co-creation of upscaling paths for specific decarbonisation technologies, co-creation of technology roadmaps, and sectoral net-zero emission pathways, with relevant policymakers, industrial experts, stakeholders, finance institutions, and non-state actors in both regions.

Promote the highest standards of transparency and openness of models, ensuring that the data is used and produced in compliance with the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) principle and model capabilities and specifications are documented for expert and non-expert audiences, through refinement and improvement of the open-access knowledge exchange platform I2AM PARIS.

Enhance mutual learning among stakeholders from both regions on decarbonisation technologies and potentials in the EIIs, on sectoral net-zero emission pathways, on their synergies as well as tradeoffs with broader societal goals, through well-structured EU-China Co-Creation Workshops and EU-China Stakeholder Dialogues. Enhance capacities of researchers in the EU and China with mutual learning on data and modelling tools through hands-on training workshops.

Achieve a broad take-up of intermediate and final project results by policy-makers, non-state stakeholders, the scientific community, and the interested public in both regions and advance scientific and public understanding of ambitious decarbonisation opportunities and their socio-economic implications.