China’s CO₂ emissions fall by more than 3% in largest decline since pandemic

Based on official statistics and trade figures, coal use is estimated to have fallen by 3 percent, while oil consumption fell by 4 percent.

At the same time, China is building a lot of new coal-fired power plants. But coal is struggling to compete with nuclear power and increasingly cheap solar and wind power. “The average operating time of coal plants is falling,” Carbon Brief writes.

Solar, wind and nuclear power generation increased by 110 terawatt-hours, an increase that “corresponds to Germany’s total power production.”

China is the world’s largest emitter. One climate goal is for emissions to start falling by 2030, but recent developments suggest this may already have been achieved.