China’s greenhouse gas emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months, welcome news as the COP30 climate summit is underway in Brazil.
The emissions trend is partly driven by China’s economic slowdown, Carbon Brief data showed, as construction and manufacturing have fallen, but also by rapid growth in renewable energy and electrification of the economy.
China, the world’s biggest polluter, has built 300 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity so far this year, almost five times the UK’s entire renewable capacity. Most rich countries’ emissions have declined, even as their economies have grown. The International Energy Agency noted last year that the EU’s economy is 66% larger than in 1990, but its emissions are 30% lower.
