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China’s Curbs on Property and Covid Have Cut Emissions — For Now

Climate change analyst says carbon pollution contributing to global warming from the world’s top emitter has posted the longest drop in a decade.

Photovoltaic panels at a solar farm and wind turbines near a coal fired power station in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, China.

Photovoltaic panels at a solar farm and wind turbines near a coal fired power station in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, China.

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
Bloomberg News

China’s carbon emissions have posted their longest sustained drop in a decade due to Beijing’s efforts to rein in the property market, boost clean energy and control the spread of the virus. 

Carbon output dropped 1.4% in the first three months of 2022, marking three consecutive quarters of falling emissions that began last summer when the government tightened its policies on the real estate sector, according to a blog post for Carbon Brief by Lauri Myllyvirta, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.