Lishui's innovative approach to green, low-carbon development was highlighted at the 2025 China Ecological Culture Forum. The city is pioneering a distinct path to ecological civilization, transforming its ecological strengths into development opportunities.

In November last year, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) introduced the City Carbon Neutrality Index (Lishui Index). This underscores the city's commitment to green, low-carbon development as a model for creating an ecological civilization.

Lishui is actively pursuing carbon neutrality by creating a carbon-neutral pilot zone and focusing on ecological carbon sequestration, production carbon reduction, and low-carbon living.

A bird's-eye view of lush mountains in Lishui, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

The city has added cumulative 195 square kilometers of new forests and improved the quality of 1,507 square kilometers, boosting carbon storage to 65.89 million metric tons, the highest in Zhejiang province.

In 2023, Lishui launched China's first shared clean energy hub, which reduces CO2 emissions by 75,800 tons annually. The Zhejiang (Lishui) Forestry Carbon Trading Platform has facilitated efficient green transactions, with 1,165 transactions totaling 3.06 million yuan ($425,693), offsetting 42,950 tons of carbon emissions.

As a "National Green Travel City", Lishui has promoted low-carbon living with new energy buses and a bus stop coverage rate of 98.07 percent. In addition, the city has integrated biodiversity protection into its carbon neutrality strategy and offered financial products like ecological credit loans to support sustainable development.