In April 2010 the Tokyo Metropolitan Government launched the Tokyo Cap-and-Trade Program to reduce energy consumption-related CO2 emissions at the city level. This is the world's first cap-and-trade programme to cover buildings in the commercial, industrial and public sectors. Its main aim is to reduce CO2 emissions from energy consumption in existing buildings in urban areas; therefore, it is called an ‘urban cap-and-trade programme’.

The Shenzhen ETS is the first urban-level “cap-and-trade” carbon emissions trading scheme to operate in China. This paper gives an overview of the economic and emissions situation in Shenzhen and focuses on the development of the Shenzhen ETS regulatory framework. It is devised as an ETS with an intensity-based cap, output-based allocation and a market for trading of allowances. The design of the Shenzhen ETS attaches great importance to coordinate the dynamic relationships between economic growth, industrial transition and emissions control.

The white paper puts forward recommendations for the coordinated enhancement of policies, codes, and regulations. It lay out a framework for guidance for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), and the Review Committees of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for the National Building Code (NBC), to harmonise their actions for healthy affordable housing in urban areas.