An article in Eco-Business in August 2015 explains that while the green building industry in China is small today, it has already grown >150 times since 2008 thanks to Chinese government policy.

The article author writes, “Green buildings – with their energy-saving technologies, temperature-optimising insulation, solar panels and smart appliances, among other features – are popping up everywhere in China, from Xinjiang in the west to Heilongjiang in the north. Unheard of as recently as a decade ago, they are quickly becoming a feature on China’s vast and varied landscape.

“This is thanks to a barrage of policies by the Chinese government aimed at slashing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and ridding itself of its ignoble title as the world’s biggest carbon polluter. The second-largest economy said in November last year that it wants its carbon emissions to peak around 2030, as part of a joint commitment with the United States.

“In its 12th Five-Year plan initiated in October 2010, the government also said it will invest heavily in green projects, a key part of which will be in green buildings. All these signs point to a booming industry in sustainable buildings.”