Implications and future direction of greenhouse gas emission mitigation policies in the building sector of China Tao Wang a , Greg Foliente b , Xinyi Song c , Jiawei Xue d , Dongping Fang d,n a School of Management Science and Engineering, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing 100081, China b CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, PO Box 56, Highett, VIC 3190, Australia c School of Building Construction, Georgia Institute of Technology, 500 Tenth Street NW, GA, USA d Department of Construction Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China article info Article history: Received 2 May 2013 Received in revised form 15 December 2013 Accepted 29 December 2013 Keywords: Greenhouse gas Emission Mitigation Building Policy China abstract A common starting point in assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policy implications in the built environment is to look at industry specific policies. This paper addressed the glaring gap between national all- economy policy options that actually determine industry-speci fic programs, and their downstream impacts and implications to the building and construction sector. National carbon policy schemes were organised into two basic types: indirect pricing mechanisms, and direct pricing mechanisms. Their features and comparative strengths and limitations were critically reviewed under a common framework, drawing from a wide body of literature. The status of the application of the GHG reduction policies in China was reviewed. A green building case is studied to quantitatively present the effectiveness and deficiencies of the current GHG mitigation policies in the building sector of China, and their implications to a building 0 s life cycle. Based on China 0 s current status of the policy system, this paper identifies the future direction of building 0 s GHG mitigation policies of China. Policies directly aiming to GHG mitigation in the building sector should be implemented in holistic and comprehensive pathway, to balance the costs and benefits of the stakeholders for the promotion of building GHG mitigation technologies. & 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 2 2. GHG mitigation policy options ........................................................................................... 2 2.1. General types and classifications ................................................................................... 2 2.2. Description..................................................................................................... 3 2.2.1. Regulations.............................................................................................. 3 2.2.2. Incentive instruments ..................................................................................... 3 2.2.3. Carbon tax .............................................................................................. 3 2.2.4. Emission trading scheme................................................................................... 3 2.3. Comparisons ................................................................................................... 3 3. Implications of the policies to the building sector of China .................................................................... 5 3.1. Review of building related GHG mitigation policies in China ............................................................. 5 3.2. A green building case study in China ................................................................................ 6 3.3. Effectiveness and deficiencies of the current GHG mitigation policies in the building sector of China ............................ 8 4. Future direction of GHG mitigation policies in the building sector of China ....................................................... 9 4.1. Balance the costs and benefits of the stakeholders ..................................................................... 9 4.2. Policies directly aiming to GHG mitigation ........................................................................... 9 4.3. Holistic and comprehensive policy pathway ......................................................................... 10 5. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 10 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................ 10 References .............................................................................................................. 10 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 1364-0321/$ - see front matter & 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.12.023 n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ86 13801283132. E-mail addresses: wangtaothu@163.com (T. Wang), greg.foliente@csiro.au (G. Foliente), Xinyi.Song@coa.gatech.edu (X. Song), jwxue1270@sina.com (J. Xue), fangdp@tsinghua.edu.cn (D. Fang). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 31 (2014) 520–530