China carbon emissions up 3% in H1 on higher power demand: Greenpeace

Coal demand increased by 3 per cent in the first half of 2018, with renewable energy sources unable to keep up with the increases in power demand over the period, Greenpeace said

SHANGHAI: China’s emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide rose 3 per cent year on year in the first half of 2018, driven by “accelerating” coal consumption, environmental group Greenpeace said in a study based on official energy and industry data.

Coal demand increased by 3 per cent in the first half of 2018, with renewable energy sources unable to keep up with the increases in power demand over the period, Greenpeace said, adding that coal consumption was also driven by record steel output over the period.

As the world’s biggest producer of greenhouse gas, China has vowed to bring total emissions to a peak by “around 2030” as part of its commitments to the Paris climate change agreement secured in 2015.

Some studies have suggested that China’s total carbon emissions might already have peaked at a record 9.53 gigatonnes in 2013, with the economy now shifting to less-carbon-intensive high-technology sectors.

But though emissions are widely seen to have fallen in 2014 and 2015, the revival in energy consumption growth since 2016 suggests they could hit a record high this year, said Greenpeace energy analyst Lauri Myllyvirta.

“What seems clear is that if the trend continues through the rest of 2018 as unfortunately seems increasingly likely, 2018 emissions will exceed 2013,” he said.

China has been trying to ease its dependence on fossil fuels, and vowed in its latest energy five-year plan to cut the share of coal in its total energy mix from 64 per cent in 2015 to 58 per cent by the end of the decade. The figure stood at 60.4 per cent in 2017.

Source: reuters