Scientists and their monsters: China’s carbon neutrality imaginary

China’s approaches to climate change are becoming increasingly important and influential. While previous studies have found that the Chinese approach to climate governance has been shaped by the ecological civilisation policy framework, the underlying assumptions and reasoning shaping climate policy in China have received less attention. To address this gap, we examine climate imaginaries and their monsters reproduced by Chinese scientists at elite institutions. Scientists are influential actors and provide insights into underlying reasoning. Climate imaginaries are collectively-held visions of desirable futures that reveal the values and assumptions shaping climate knowledge production. Climate imaginaries are particularly distinctive in their problem definitions, which we conceptualise as monsters. Building on 44 survey responses and 17 interviews, we identify one fully-fledged climate imaginary (Carbon Neutrality Imaginary) and two elemental imaginaries (Harmony and Human Well-Being Elemental Imaginaries). The hegemonic Carbon Neutrality Imaginary’s monster problematises emissions and relies on market tools and technology to achieve carbon neutrality. The Carbon Neutrality Imaginary is complemented by the Harmony and the Human Well-Being Elemental Imaginaries, which offer the ideological framework and represent the cultural context. The three (elemental) imaginaries are paired with widespread confidence and optimism in China’s capacity to address climate change. We argue that scientists’ monsters do not fear survival or dystopia, and that they are mainly divided over the priorities guiding society’s development. Finally, this study critically engages with the monsters and their normative assumptions, and draws conclusions from the relationship between (elemental) imaginaries and policy developments.