What happened on energy and climate in China this year?
5 days ago
- #Climate Change
- #Energy Transition
- #China
- China's CO2 emissions remained flat in 2024, with only a 0.2% increase, marking a significant plateau despite strong energy demand growth.
- Emissions from electricity fell by 2% due to rapid deployment of clean energy, adding 430 TWh of non-fossil electricity—nearly equivalent to Germany's total generation.
- Despite clean energy expansion, China continues to build new coal plants, though their utilization rates are declining, raising concerns about future emissions.
- Oil consumption for road transport dropped by 5%, driven by the rapid adoption of electric vehicles, which now account for over half of new car sales.
- Industrial emissions rose, offsetting declines in electricity and transport, with slow adoption of low-carbon steel production methods like electric arc furnaces.
- Predicting China's emissions peak remains uncertain, but analysts expect it before 2030, with structural changes like EV adoption reducing rebound risks.