To give full play to the fundamental role of market entities in the development of the national carbon market and to establish a regular dialogue and exchange platform among government, enterprises and research institutions, the Conference of Carbon Market Practitioners (CCMP) 2026, themed "Pooling the Strength of Market Entities to Jointly Promote the High-Quality Development of the National Carbon Market," was successfully held on September 14 in Wuhan, Hubei Province.
The conference was hosted by the China Carbon Emissions Trading Association, and co-hosted by China Hubei Emission Rights Registration and Settlement Co., Ltd., the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange, and the Beijing Green Exchange, with support from the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC), the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Environmental Development Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy of Tsinghua University, China International Capital Corporation Limited, China Minsheng Banking Corp., Ltd., and the editorial office of Carbon Market and Carbon Finance. More than 350 guests from government departments, research institutions, industry associations, key emission units, financial institutions, and third-party market service organizations attended the event.
Gu Shengzu, chief expert of the Global Development Think Tank, attended and delivered a keynote report, while Li Gao, Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, attended and delivered a speech. The opening session was chaired by Professor Zhang Xiliang, Director of the Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy of Tsinghua University and President of the China Carbon Emissions Trading Association. Professor Zhang noted that the association is a national industry academic organization established under the suggestion and guidance of Vice Minister Li Gao and the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. To reflect the fundamental role of carbon market entities in carbon market development, the association's annual conference was named the "Conference of Carbon Market Practitioners" (CCMP) this year. He expressed the hope that the CCMP will serve three functions: first, to become an institutionalized platform for exchanges among carbon market entities; second, to become a bond connecting market entities with carbon market regulators; and third, to become a bridge for cooperation between domestic and international carbon markets.
During the keynote session, reports were delivered by distinguished guests including Lu Shize, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment; Liu Wenqiang, Party Committee Secretary of the CCID Research Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; Wang Zhixuan, Vice Chairman of the Expert Committee of the China Electricity Council (former full-time Vice Chairman) and President of the Institute of New Energy System and Carbon Neutrality of North China Electric Power University; and Wang Yumeng, Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Vice General Manager of China National Building Material Group Co., Ltd. The session was chaired by Zhang Xin, Deputy Director of the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation and Vice President of the China Carbon Emissions Trading Association.
In the international perspective session, Angela Churie Kallhauge, Executive Vice President of the Environmental Defense Fund; Amy Merrill Steen, Chief Executive Officer of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market; and Dirk Forrister, Chairman of the International Emissions Trading Association, shared their views on the development trends of global carbon markets and the experience gained in building international carbon credit markets, providing valuable international references for deepening and improving the national carbon market.
A ceremony was held at the conference to release typical cases of carbon market entities. The 15 typical cases covered five major areas: market compliance, carbon asset management, data quality management, green transformation technologies, and carbon market service innovation. Professor Zhang Xiliang; Zhou Changbo, Director of the Green and Low-Carbon Center of the Environmental Development Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment; Lai Xiaoming, Chairman of the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange; Wang Naixiang, Chairman of the Beijing Green Exchange; and Professor Wu Shuhong of Beijing Forestry University presented certificates to the selected cases.
The conference also witnessed the launch of the "Cooling the Earth — Nationwide Carbon Offset Action," which was initiated on stage by Hu Songqin, Director of the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, and other guests. The conference released the China Carbon Market Research 2026, which was unveiled by Professor Zhang Xiliang and Professor Qi Shaozhou of Wuhan University, among others.
Discussions were held on four topics: allowance allocation and surrender; monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) and data quality; carbon finance; and carbon credits.