The Shift to Synergies in China’s Climate Planning: Aligning Goals with Policies and Institutions

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report (Previous Reviewer 1)

The authors have made a comprehensive revision according to the review comments. I have no further comments, I suggest receiving it.

The expression is quite fluent.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report (Previous Reviewer 2)

I am pleased to see that the authors modified the first version of the manuscript, adding information and content that strengthens the structure of their research. Only a minor grammar check is necessary.

Minor revision

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Reviewer 3 Report (Previous Reviewer 4)

This article primarily utilizes a literature review to analyze the goals set by the Chinese government at various stages over the past half-century in addressing climate change, along with the policies adopted and the authorities established. The analysis aims to systematically organize and explain these aspects. The following suggestions are provided for the consideration of the authors:

1.In the literature review, it is recommended to examine important studies or regulatory policies corresponding to the three types: Integration, Co-Control, and Synergies. Subsequently, elaborate on how these three types of literature and research are related to the Chinese case. 

2.Enhance the explanation of how the three stages of Integration, Co-Control, and Synergies are classified. For instance, is it influenced by significant events within China or driven by changes in the international environment? Additionally, discuss the major regulations or requirements imposed by the Chinese government during these stages.

3.Table 1 is the highlight of the article; it is suggested to add representative cases or policy tools and strategies corresponding to each category.

4.Recommend the inclusion of a "Conclusion" section. In addition to presenting the major findings of the article, conduct a critical analysis of the Chinese government's actions in response to climate change to provide potential directions for improvement.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This article examines China's endeavors to bridge the gap between the evidence of connections between climate issues and other sustainability considerations, and the policy-making processes aimed at achieving more cohesive outcomes. I find the research of this paper holds certain significance. However, before acceptance, it requires major revisions. The following changes are recommended to enhance the paper:

1.       The introduction appears to be relatively simplistic, providing only a brief overview of the background and research content. To enhance the introduction, it's recommended to emphasize the significance of the research objectives, highlight previous research advancements, clarify the focal point of this study, and outline the problems to be addressed. Moreover, it would be beneficial to include relevant references to enhance the credibility of the introduction.

2.       Consider separating the literature review from the analysis framework. The third section's outcomes should include the evolutionary process, while the second section (Table 1) can visually depict the evolution process.

3.       The third section solely outlines the evolution process of China's collaborative governance, resulting in a monotonous presentation. It's advisable to enhance this section by emphasizing the research's significance, discussing its strengths and weaknesses, and possibly comparing it to alternative approaches.

4.       In the conclusion section, it's suggested to present the conclusions in a more structured manner, addressing each point individually for clarity and precision.

5.       The policy recommendations section would benefit from offering targeted suggestions based on the research findings, rather than presenting general recommendations as currently done.

6.       The text appears to be quite descriptive; incorporating visual aids such as tables for comparing the evolution of China's collaborative governance with that of other countries could enhance the paper's clarity and intuitiveness.

7.       The paper's innovative aspects and research methods might require further development to stand out more prominently. Consider refining and emphasizing the distinctive contributions and methodologies used in the research.

8.      Please pay attention to some details, such as the author affiliations and citation formatting.

The language expression is relatively fluent.

Reviewer 2 Report

Although the subject is interesting, I see serious problems in the methodological design. I believe that the literature review should have been more exhaustive. For example, an essential document on this topic is the Brundtland report (1987, our common future), which was not considered. But that is not a problem, the serious thing is that the way in which literature review section is structured seems like a discussion, I suggest to the authors that in this section, they systematically define the lines to be treated (1) goals, 2) policies, and 3) institutions) since the way it is presented is very confusing. So, the manuscript will have a logical sequence between the literature review, Table 1 and the results.

For all of the above, I suggest its rejection or resubmission after a major revision to this version.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

The manuscript does not require a detailed revision of the English

Reviewer 3 Report

See the attached, please.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

This article uses literature review and analysis to sort out in detail the various strategies and actions of the Chinese government in the face of climate change, which can be described as very detailed. The following are suggestions for reference only:

 1. In the abstract section, please succinctly explain the important findings of this article.

 2. Table 1 is the most important results of this article, it is recommended to move to the end of the "Results" paragraph.

 3. It is recommended to strengthen the basis for explaining how to divide the process of the Chinese government's governance of climate change into three stages, such as: the formulation of major policies or changes in the legislative background, etc., to facilitate readers' understanding

 4. This article may add a "discussion" paragraph to comment on the actions and performance of the Chinese government in the field of climate change. Even, some representative examples of each stage can be cited as a supplement.

    In short, this article uses the method of literature review to systematically organize the relevant policies and actors of the Chinese government on the issue of climate change, which is very detailed and clear. If there is an appropriate case analysis and comparison with empirical data, the richness and contribution of this article will be increased.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf