A low-carbon economy (LCE) is a concept which was first proposed in the UK Energy White Paper 2003, entitled Our energy future: creating a low-carbon economy. Thereafter, LCE became a buzzword arousing increasingly worldwide concern. The Energy White Paper, however, presents no precise definition of LCE, nor the relevant methods or standards for delimitating LCE.

The LCE, thought as a worldwide hot topic, is still a vague concept updating over time. In the mainstream view it refers to an economy having a minimal output of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the biosphere.

When the concept was first put forward, most scientific and public opinion had come to the conclusion that the over-concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere due to anthropogenic causes is the direct cause of the ongoing global warming. Therefore, a campaign to implement LCE globally is believed to be imperative for averting catastrophic climate change.