Overview
- Solar generation rose 46% and wind 11% in Q3, keeping power-sector emissions flat even as electricity demand grew 6.1%, with wind, solar, nuclear and hydro covering about 90% of added demand.
- Transport fuel emissions fell roughly 5% and cement and steel eased, yet surging chemicals output, including about 12% growth in plastics, offset wider declines.
- CREA’s Carbon Brief analysis reports Q3 emissions were unchanged year on year, marking 18 months of flat or falling CO2.
- After September’s estimated 3% year-on-year drop, 2025 totals now hinge on fourth-quarter activity, leaving outcomes balanced between a small fall or rise.
- China’s September pledge set an absolute cap by 2030 with a 7–10% cut by 2035 from the peak, as record renewables expansion continued with 240 GW of solar and 61 GW of wind added in the first nine months of 2025 and experts warn the 2020–2025 carbon-intensity goal is likely to be missed.