Carbon dioxide emissions in China 1960-2023

China released 11.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2023, making it by far the world's largest polluter that year. While most countries experienced dramatic emission reductions in 2020 due to COVID-19, China was one of only a handful of countries where emissions increased.

China’s contribution to global emissions

China is now the largest emitter of CO₂ emissions worldwide, producing more than twice the CO₂ emissions of the United States each year. Although China’s contributions to global CO₂ emissions only really started at the turn of the 21st century, it has now produced the second largest volume ever in terms of cumulative CO₂ emissions. However, this is still half the total produced by the United States, where industrialization began far earlier.

Main sources of China emissions

One of the main reasons for China’s high level of emissions is the reliance of coal in its power mix. Coal is the most polluting of energy sources, and accounts for roughly 70 percent of China’s electricity generation. In 2020, China announced an ambitious plan to become carbon neutral by 2060, meaning a significant move away from fossil fuel powered transport and energy is needed.