Experts are split on whether China’s carbon dioxide emissions will have peaked by next year, even as cautious optimism builds about Beijing’s environmental progress.
A survey of 33 domestic and 11 international experts found 44 per cent expected the emissions from the world’s biggest polluter had either peaked already or will peak by 2025, more than double the 21 per cent in 2023 who responded positively, and up from just 15 per cent in 2022.
The report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea) reflects just how far China’s boom in green energy and electric vehicles this year has exceeded expectations, even after “explosive” growth in 2023. More than half of new cars sold were electric for three months in a row in 2024. At the same time, the heavily polluting building industry has gone into decline.