Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region has become the first prefecture-level city in the country to establish a clear legal framework for the market-oriented development of forest and grassland carbon sinks.

This comes after the Standing Committee of the 14th Inner Mongolia People's Congress's approval of the Ordos Regulation on the Governance of the Kubuqi Desert and Mu Us Sandy Land, submitted by the Ordos Municipal People's Congress.

Article 26 of the regulation encourages and guides market entities to invest in carbon-sink afforestation projects, participate in China's national carbon trading market, engage in carbon emission and certified voluntary emission reduction transactions, and develop ecological products that reflect the value of carbon sinks.

The regulation is the first of its kind in China to include a dedicated provision at the prefecture-city level that legally supports market entities' participation in carbon-sink forestry, links local projects to the national carbon market, and outlines a complete market-oriented pathway for forest and grassland carbon sinks.

Officials said the move highlights Ordos' commitment to advancing China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals while recognizing the growing role of forest and grassland carbon sinks in the region's green and low-carbon transition.