Energy Transition Vulnerability Index (ETVI) for 281 Chinese cities (Updated to 2019)

Yifan Shen, Yuxuan Wang, Jia He, Yanan Chen, Xunpeng Shi, Yingzhu Li

Abstract: At COP28, a historic agreement was reached to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels by tripling global renewable energy capacity, with a strong emphasis on ensuring that this transition is just, orderly, and equitable. Measuring socio-economic vulnerability to the low-carbon transition is therefore fundamental to addressing the equity implications of this shift. Despite sustained efforts to conceptualize and quantify energy transition vulnerability, estimates for China remain scarce, even though it is the world’s largest carbon emitter and exhibits substantial heterogeneity at the sub-national level.

Here, we present an Energy Transition Vulnerability Index (ETVI) for 281 Chinese cities from 2003 to 2019, providing a baseline and quantitative evidence on spatiotemporal patterns and trends. Our analysis places particular emphasis on the challenges associated with transitioning away from coal, which represents the most critical component of China’s low-carbon energy transition. The conceptual framework underlying the ETVI builds on the Vulnerability Scoping Diagram (VSD) method. When appropriately applied, the city-level ETVI can help inform differentiated policy responses across regions, supporting a just and inclusive energy transition within China’s national climate strategy.

Please cite the following papers when using this data. Many thanks! We will keep updating the index when the new data come in.

Citation: Yifan Shen, Yuxuan Wang, Jia He, Yanan Chen, Xunpeng Shi, Yingzhu Li, Evaluating Regional Disparities in Socio-Economic Vulnerability to Coal Phase-out across Chinese Cities, Cell Reports Sustainability, 2025, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100438.

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