Particle.news
Download on the App Store

New Data Show China’s Emissions Flat for 18 Months as Clean Energy Surges

Clean‑energy gains face offsetting petrochemical growth, leaving the 2025 outcome uncertain.

Overview

  • Analyses cited by Carbon Brief and CREA report that China’s CO2 output has been broadly unchanged since March 2024, with declines in several sectors.
  • China installed about 240 GW of solar and 61 GW of wind in the first nine months of 2025, with Q3 solar generation up 46% year over year and wind up 11%.
  • Rapid electric‑vehicle uptake has cut demand for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel by roughly 5%, easing emissions from transport fuels.
  • Despite strong power demand, energy‑sector emissions did not rise as coal plant utilization slipped from about 54% to 51% and renewables met most incremental load.
  • Petrochemical expansion lifted oil and gas demand by around 8%, creating offsetting pressures that leave the full‑year emissions result dependent on fourth‑quarter data.