China is currently one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world.
With this in mind, we’ve put together the guide below where we summarise/break down different aspects of greenhouse gas emissions in China.
Summary – Greenhouse Gas Emissions In China
China’s Cumulative CO2 Emissions
China is currently second behind the US for the countries with the most cumulative CO2 emissions
China’s Annual CO2 Emissions
China has the largest annual CO2 emissions of any country in the world, and emits a significant amount more (almost double the amount) than the United States as the second largest emitter
China’s Per Capita CO2 Emissions
Which Greenhouse Gas Is Emitted The Most In China? – % Share
Carbon dioxide might be emitted the most of all greenhouse gases in China
CO2 Emissions In China By Energy/Fuel Source – Quantity & % Share
Coal is responsible for the large majority of China’s CO2 emissions, making up roughly 70% of all CO2 emissions
Which Industries Use The Most Coal in China?
The industrial sector, and specifically manufacturing, agriculture, mining, construction and power production may make up the vast majority of China’s coal consumption
Which Sectors/Industries Emit The Most CO2 In China?
It might be reasonable to assume that the industries and sectors that use the most coal are responsible for the most CO2 emissions amongst all sectors and industries in China
However, some reports also indicate that construction (cement and steel production specifically), and also transport/motor vehicles may specifically emit notable amounts of CO2
Methane & Nitrous Oxide Emissions In China
We discuss various aspects of methane and nitrous oxide emissions in China in the guide below, such as:
– What % share of all greenhouse gases methane, nitrous oxide, and ‘f gases’ make up
– What % share of all methane emissions and also nitrous oxide emissions China is responsible for on a global scale
– The main sources of methane emissions in China
– The main sources of nitrous oxide emissions in China
Recent CO2 Emissions Trend In China
According to various reports and graphs available online, China’s annual CO2 emissions have consistently increased over from 1960 until 2021, with one brief period of a potential plateau in that time, before increasing again
Future Emissions Forecasts For China
Future emissions forecasts and projections might be not be considered definitive – they might be more general in nature.
However, we’ve included some general forecasts and projections for China’s total GHG emissions in the future in the guide below
We’ve also identified some things China might be doing, or has signalled an intention to do, in order to reduce emissions
China’s Cumulative CO2 Emissions
Cumulative emissions are total emissions over time since a specific year
China is currently second behind the US for the countries with the most cumulative CO2 emissions
China’s Annual CO2 Emissions
China has the largest annual CO2 emissions of any country in the world, and emits a significant amount more (almost double the amount) than the United States, who is the second largest emitter
China’s Per Capita CO2 Emissions
Per capita emissions obviously take into consideration population size vs total emissions to get a per capita emissions rate
China may have a significantly lower per capita CO2 emissions rate than some other major countries in the world, such as the United States
One set of data indicates that China has a per capita CO2 emissions rate of 7.36 tonnes of CO2 per person
Qatar tops the list at 47.83 tonnes per person per year, whilst the US is at 16.44.
Which Greenhouse Gas Is Emitted The Most In China?
Carbon dioxide might be emitted the most of all greenhouse gases in China
One report indicates that other greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide (plus F Gases) only make up 20% of China’s total emissions, so, it might be reasonable to presume that CO2 makes up a significant % of the rest of emissions.
Methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases collectively account for nearly 20 percent of [China’s] total emissions (chinapower.csis.org)
CO2 Emissions In China By Energy/Fuel Source – Quantity & % Share
Coal is responsible the large majority of China’s CO2 emissions, making up roughly 70% of all CO2 emissions
Oil is in a clear second behind coal
Several reports indicate that China consumes more coal than the rest of the world combined – this illustrates the extent of their current coal consumption
Quantity (in Gt)
From chinapower.csis.org:
[The breakdown of China’s CO2 emissions by fuel source in 2016 was]:
Coal – 7.17Gt C02 [Roughly 70% of China’s CO2 emissions come from coal]
Oil – 1.38Gt C02 [Roughly 14%]
[This is followed by Gas in third at 0.395Gt C02, Cement at 1.2Gt C02, and Gas Flaring – 0Gt C02]
% Share
– All Energy
From chinapower.csis.org:
Coal has constituted an average of 69.9 percent of China’s energy consumption between 1985 and 2016
As of 2016, China still consumes more coal that the rest of the world combined.
Which Industries Use The Most Coal In China?
The industrial sector, and specifically manufacturing, agriculture, mining, construction and power production may make up the vast majority of China’s coal consumption
From chinapower.csis.org:
The industrial sector is China’s primary coal consumer
Manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and construction collectively made up … 54.2 percent of China’s coal use in 2015
Power production activities were responsible for 41.8 percent of coal consumption.
Which Sectors/Industries Emit The Most CO2 In China?
It might be reasonable to assume that the industries and sectors listed in the section above that use the most coal are also responsible for the most CO2 emissions amongst all sectors and industries in China
Construction – in particular the production of cement and steel – might make up a significant % of China’s CO2 emissions among industries
Transport/motor vehicles might be another industry that is a notable emitter of CO2
From chinapower.csis.org:
Construction-related activities are among the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions – particularly the production of cement and steel
… cement alone accounted for 11 percent of China’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2016 [and steel might be at about 10%]
Motor vehicles represent another major source of emissions in China
On cement consumption and steel manufacturing …
chinapower.csis.org provides some stats on these activities, and mentions how (paraphrased) China’s cement consumption and steel manufacturing has been significant compared to other countries in the world in recent years or decades.
They also mention that most of the materials have been consumed internally within China.
Methane & Nitrous Oxide Emissions In China
Methane, nitrous oxide and ‘F Gases’ make up about 20% of China’s total emissions
On a global level, China is responsible for 18.5% of both methane emissions and nitrous oxide emissions
China’s methane mostly comes from the transport and distribution of energy (mainly of fossil fuels like coal and gas), and agriculture (with rice cultivation being a major contributor)
Nitrous oxide comes mainly from agricultural activity, such as soil management and fertilzer.
% Share Of All Greenhouse Gases That Methane, Nitrous Oxide & ‘F Gases Make Up In China
Methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases collectively account for nearly 20 percent of [China’s] total emissions (chinapower.csis.org)
% Of Global Methane Emissions & Nitrous Oxide Emissions That China Is Responsible For
According to chinapower.csis.org, in 2016 and on global level, China was responsible for:
… 18.5 percent of global methane emissions (1.7 billion tons)
… 18.5 percent of N2O emissions (537 million tons)
Main Sources Of Methane Emissions In China
From chinapower.csis.org:
[A lot of China’s methane comes from transporting and distributing energy, such as coal mining and gas transport, and also agricultural activities like rice cultivation]
Main Sources Of Nitrous Oxide Emissions In China
From chinapower.csis.org:
[The agricultural sector is the primary source of N2O emissions in China, at 73.7 percent of the total]
Nitrous oxide is mainly a consequence of agricultural soil management, such as fertilizer, as well as other industrial activities.
Recent CO2 Emissions Trend In China
Several reports and graphs we viewed and accessed online of China’s annual emissions show that CO2 emissions have been on a consistent annual increase since 1960, up until 2021
Much of this increase might be from significant coal use
Some graphs show CO2 emissions somewhat flattening out between around 2011 to 2016, before continuing the annual increase
From chinapower.csis.org:
[In the year 2000, China was at 13.9% of global CO2 emissions, and in the years 2016 and 2017, those numbers increased to 29.2% and 27.6% of global CO2 emissions]
[In that same time, coal use in Gt has increased from 2.4 to 7.17Gt]
Future Emissions Forecasts For China
Forecasts Are Not Definitive
Future emissions forecasts and projections might be not be considered as definitive.
They might be more general in nature.
There’s many reasons for this, with just some of them being variables such as what energy sources are used, the price of energy sources and fossil fuels, economic activity, government policy impacting energy, whether there is improvement or development in energy technology, whether there is improvement or development in mining and resource extraction practices, and more.
General Forecasts
An emissions forecast for China in the future might be heavily linked to whether the country can decrease it’s total coal use and % share of coal use compared to other energy sources.
We discussed the potential future of the energy sector in China in a separate guide
Looking at China’s recent emissions trends in the above section, going at the current rate of coal use may lead to more annual CO2 emissions increases.
One report (outlined below) indicates that China’s current policy may lead to an increase in total GHG emissions of between 1% to 15% by the year 2030
How Current Policy May Impact Future Emissions
From climateactiontracker.org
China’s current policy projections (including COVID-19 impacts) [may] reach GHG emissions levels (excl. LULUCF) of … 12.9–14.7 GtCO2e/year in 2030.
This [would be] an increase in total GHG emissions of … +1% to +15% by 2030
China’s Effort To Reduce Emissions
According to chinapower.csis.org, the Chinese government has stated it’s intention to try to decrease emissions, or, is currently decreasing emissions by doing the following things (paraphrased):
[Upgrading power plants to be more efficient with coal and indirectly decrease emissions from steel production, introducing CCS technology, introducing a nationwide emissions trading scheme that puts a price on CO2, having fuel standards for road transport, and having targets for electric vehicles on the road by certain years in the future]
Read More About A Changing Climate
If you’re interested in reading more about a changing climate, we’ve outlined what might be some of the basic information to consider, and have also outlined what some of the potential solutions are that have generally been proposed to address it
Sources
1. https://chinapower.csis.org/china-greenhouse-gas-emissions/
2. https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions
3. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/05/china-is-a-renewable-energy-champion-but-its-time-for-a-new-approach/
4. https://thediplomat.com/2018/04/the-stumbling-blocks-to-chinas-green-transition/
5. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-25/china-pledges-to-drastically-cut-fossil-fuels/9500228
6. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data
7. https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Chinas-Coal-To-Gas-Transition-Sputters.html
8. https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/china/current-policy-projections/
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