Zero: The Climate Race Update: Have China's emissions finally peaked?
Dec 24, 2025
In this insightful conversation, Lauri Myllyvirta, co-founder of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, discusses the pivotal moment in China’s emissions trajectory. He explains the factors behind a 1% decline in emissions, highlighting advancements in renewable energy and electrification of transport. Lauri delves into the reliability of China's data, the challenges of coal-to-chemicals expansion, and the interaction between trade tensions and climate policy. He shares thoughts on China’s potential to lead in green technology and the implications for global climate action.
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China's Emissions Show Early Decline
- China's CO2 emissions fell about 1% over the past 12 months, marking a meaningful change in trend.
- Lauri Myllyvirta attributes this to clean energy growth covering electricity demand while demand itself remained above average.
Watch Policy And Demand To Safeguard The Peak
- Monitor renewable policy changes carefully because new pricing for projects could slow future additions.
- Watch energy demand growth and avoid construction-led stimulus that would outpace clean capacity additions.
Renewables Scaling Outpaces Global Comparisons
- China added more than 300 GW of wind and solar per year, enough to generate the UK's entire electricity consumption in 2024.
- These additions are covering roughly 5% of China's electricity demand annually, matching historical demand growth and enabling emissions reduction.