China’s booming clean energy industry is making a major dent in emissions outside the country’s borders. The solar panels, wind turbines, and EV batteries exported by China in 2024 shaved 1% off the world’s carbon footprint that year, according to a new analysis by Carbon Brief. Add in emissions saved by products manufactured at Chinese-owned clean tech factories worldwide, and the figure rises to 1.5%, equal to the annual emissions of Australia. Clean tech is increasingly foundational to China’s overall economy; in 2024, it contributed more than 10% of the country’s GDP for the first time.
China maintains a wide lead globally in clean tech manufacturing, and its exports unlock not just emissions savings but economic growth in importing countries, since more of the value in clean tech is in building and operating projects than in manufacturing hardware. And while Europe and especially the US are putting up new trade barriers for Chinese clean tech exports, countries in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa are throwing open their doors.
