China's Covid Zero Policy Is Putting Its Climate Action on Ice

Frustration with China’s Covid Zero policy is coming to a head, as lockdowns, testing and other restrictions spur historic protests across the country. On the ground, the country’s strict Covid controls are also playing out in another realm: grinding some grassroots climate action to a halt.

Environmentalists in and outside China say Covid Zero has made them extremely wary of travel, cutting off much-needed in-person interaction and, in one case, hamstringing a crucial international negotiation on biodiversity. With researchers and scientists stranded at home, many climate projects are on pause, potentially slowing the country’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move forward on adaptation. Advocates worry that as urgency increases and climate conversations progress around the world, China risks being left out — or even left behind.