Low-Carbon (Re-)Industrialization

The difference between (re-)industrialization in the past and present is that energy security and climate change now increas-ingly frame the space in which such processes take place. There-fore, there is an urgent need to rethink (re-)industrialization as part of a low-carbon future, rather than as something that perpetuates the current carbon-intensive mode of production and consumption. The aim of this chapter is to explore the con-cept of low-carbon industrialization, which has recently gained significant traction in China as part of the rethinking process. More specifically, this chapter seeks to clarify the meaning of low-carbon industrialization, supported by examples from Chi-na. The chapter also seeks to transfer lessons from China’s expe-rience with low-carbon industrialization to the context of (re-)industrialization. To anticipate the conclusion, this paper argues that both top-down and bottom-up initiatives can be important in low-carbon (re-)industrialization and that their appropriate-ness depends on the market structure and technological charac-teristics of the industry.