Climate change: carbon emissions of world’s top emitter China to fall further after longest period of decline in a decade
- The nation’s carbon dioxide emissions, which account for the bulk of global greenhouse gas emissions, fell 1.4 per cent in the first three months of the year
- The government’s rigid Covid-19 control measures have become the main driver of reduced carbon emissions since March this year
The nation’s carbon dioxide emissions, which account for the bulk of global greenhouse gas emissions, fell 1.4 per cent in the first three months of the year, according to Lauri Myllyvirta, an analyst at Finland-registered research organisation Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
That decrease was led by a 12 per cent reduction in cement output, followed by weaker power, steel and fuel production.
Emissions across the country, which peaked last summer, have been declining since the third quarter of last year, as real estate construction activities weakened and renewable power generation showed strong growth, Myllyvirta said.
“Starting from late March … the main driver [of reduced emission] has been [the government’s] harsh Covid-19 control policies,” he wrote in a blog published by UK-based website Carbon Brief, which covers climate science and energy policy. “The second quarter of 2022 appears highly likely to extend the trend of falling emissions – even as the construction sector slowdown bottoms out – due to the impact of Covid lockdowns becoming much more pronounced.”