Emissions fell in first half<\/strong><\/p>\n POWERING THE TRANSITION: <\/strong>China\u2019s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions fell 1% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, new analysis for Carbon Brief<\/a> found, extending<\/a> a decline that began in March 2024. Power sector emissions fell by 3% during this period, as growth in solar power alone matched the 170 terawatt-hour (TWh) rise in electricity demand, the analysis said. It noted that the sector\u2019s coal use fell 3.4% year-on-year, while gas use increased by 6%. The analysis added that, even if China\u2019s emissions fall in 2025, it will likely miss<\/a> multiple climate targets this year, such as carbon intensity.\u00a0<\/p>\n DEMAND UP, PRICES DOWN: <\/strong>Reuters<\/a> reported that in July, which is not covered in the Carbon Brief analysis, China\u2019s fossil-fuelled power generation \u201crose 4.3%\u2026from a year earlier\u201d, due to high cooling demand. Extreme heat continued to push power demand to new highs in early August, China Energy News<\/a> said, with China seeing record demand continuously over 4-6 August. At one point demand reached 1,233 gigawatts, it added. Business news outlet Caixin<\/a> reported that, despite this, power was \u201cactually getting cheaper in some regions\u201d, driven by the \u201cgrowing share of renewables in the power mix\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u4e0a\u5fae\u4fe1\u5173\u6ce8\u300a\u78b3\u7b80\u62a5\u300b<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018SHORT-TERM SHOCKS\u2019:<\/strong> Extreme heat, heavy rains and floods \u201ccaused short-term shocks to economic operations\u201d, Singapore-based outlet Lianhe Zaobao<\/a> quoted a government official as saying. \u201cBad weather\u201d specifically affected \u201csteel and coal output\u201d, according to Bloomberg<\/a>, with the coal industry \u201calso contending with government inspections\u201d. The government will allocate 100bn yuan ($14bn) to \u201csupport businesses hit by natural disasters\u201d, Reuters<\/a> said. Clean-tech exports stayed strong<\/strong><\/p>\n OVERSEAS GROWTH: <\/strong>China\u2019s exports of clean-energy technologies \u201crose further in July\u201d, Caixin<\/a> said, with Chinese lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle (EV) exports in the first seven months of 2025 rising around 26% year-on-year, by value. Solar cell exports also rose 54% in terms of volume over this period, it noted, although by value they \u201cfell 23%\u201d. Industry outlet PV Magazine<\/a> said that China\u2019s exports of solar cells and wafers had \u201cincreased significantly\u201d, but that exports of panels declined. Meanwhile, the government has held its second meeting in two months with solar industry representatives on curbing overcapacity, Reuters<\/a> said. Elsewhere, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post<\/a> (SCMP) covered new research finding that, in 2024, Chinese EV companies invested more overseas than they did in China \u201cfor the first time\u201d.<\/p>\n Subscribe: China Briefing<\/p>\n Sign up<\/a> to Carbon Brief’s free “China Briefing” email newsletter. All you need to know about the latest developments relating to China and climate change. Sent to your inbox every Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u2018PRAGMATIC\u2019 ON CLIMATE: <\/strong>Chinese ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang argued China and the UK should work \u201cmore closely\u201d to address climate change, in a Guardian<\/a> commentary. (Zheng has also become China\u2019s first<\/a> permanent representative to the London-based International Maritime Organization<\/a>, according to Xinhua<\/a>.) In response to an article<\/a> by UK government adviser Chris Stark saying that the UK should join China in becoming an \u201celectrostate\u201d, the Global Times<\/a> published an editorial saying the UK\u2019s energy transition \u201chinges on pragmatic cooperation\u201d with China. Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping said China and Brazil should \u201censure the success\u201d of COP30, Xinhua<\/a> reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n CHINA\u2019S SECURITY CONCERNS: <\/strong>China\u2019s third-largest hydropower station has \u201cfully transitioned away\u201d from using western-made chips due to \u201cnational security and supply chain resilience concerns\u201d, SCMP<\/a> reported. The government also issued a notice on \u201cstrengthening\u201d supervision of smart EVs, International Energy Net<\/a> said, including software updates. China\u2019s exports of permanent magnets and other rare-earth products \u201cextended their recovery in July\u201d, Bloomberg<\/a> said, with export volumes rising 69% from a month earlier. The country is also warning foreign companies not to \u201cstockpile rare earths and derived products such as magnets\u201d, the Financial Times<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n National ecology day<\/strong><\/p>\n GREEN TO GOLD: <\/strong>China must \u201cadopt green development approaches to grow our mountains of gold and silver\u201d, Premier Li Qiang said, according to energy news outlet International Energy Net<\/a>, at an event marking national ecology day. The event was also held on the 20th anniversary of President Xi Jinping\u2019s speech in Zhejiang province, in which he emphasised that \u201clucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets<\/a>\u201d. [Read more on Xi\u2019s \u201ctwo mountains\u201d theory<\/a> in this analysis by Carbon Brief<\/a>.] Li added that China must \u201csteadily promote the green and low-carbon transformation of industries\u201d and \u201ccollaborate with all parties to\u2026address climate change\u201d, it said.<\/p>\n OFFICIALS SPEAK: <\/strong>Speaking a few days earlier, Chinese climate envoy Liu Zhenmin told a conference that \u201cgreen and low-carbon innovation\u2026 [is] the new engine driving global economic growth\u201d, the state-run newspaper China Daily<\/a> reported, adding that he \u201cattributed much of [China\u2019s energy] transformation to the \u2018two mountains\u2019 theory<\/a>\u201d. National Development and Reform Commission<\/a> head Zheng Shanjie wrote an essay on the theory for the ideological journal Research on Xi Jinping Economic Thought<\/a>, saying China must \u201ccoordinate efforts to reduce carbon emissions, mitigate pollution, expand green spaces and promote economic growth\u201d. Environment minister Huang Runqiu also said this in a speech broadcasted by the Communist party-affiliated newspaper People\u2019s Daily<\/a>, adding that the tasks \u201cmay seem independent, but are actually closely interconnected\u201d.<\/p>\n MEDIA REACTIONS: <\/strong>State media also issued commentaries on the theory, with the People\u2019s Daily<\/a> publishing a \u201cRen Ping\u201d commentary \u2013 a byline indicating the article reflects party leaders\u2019 views \u2013 saying it is a \u201cbeacon\u201d for \u201cglobal green development\u201d. A People\u2019s Daily<\/a> commentary under the byline He Yin \u2013 which similarly signals that the article reflects party leaders\u2019 views on international affairs \u2013 said the theory \u201ccontributes Chinese wisdom and solutions to building a clean and beautiful world\u201d. An editorial in the state-supporting Global Times<\/a> said: \u201cEspecially at a time when climate change is an urgent global challenge, [the theory] is timely, visionary and inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n Draft policies and pilot projects<\/strong><\/p>\n COUNTING CARBON: <\/strong>The Ministry of Ecology and Environment<\/a> (MEE) issued four more draft methodologies for China\u2019s voluntary carbon market<\/a>, three of which address \u201cgas recovery and utilisation\u201d from oil- and gas-fields, BJX News<\/a> reported. The MEE also published a draft revision to guidelines for provincial<\/a> greenhouse gas inventories that aims to \u201cenhance the scientific rigour, standardisation and practicality\u201d of compiling the documents, another BJX News<\/a> article said. Meanwhile, China will also develop \u201cnational carbon measurement centres\u201d to help support the development of carbon measurement capabilities, finance outlet EastMoney<\/a> said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018GREEN FUELS\u2019: <\/strong>Meanwhile, China has established nine pilot projects to develop \u201cgreen fuels\u201d including ammonia, methanol and ethanol, finance news outlet Yicai<\/a> said, adding that many of the projects use \u201cgreen hydrogen as a raw material to produce\u201d the chemicals. Separately, China\u2019s National Energy Administration<\/a> (NEA) said in a statement that it placed \u201cgreat importance on the development of green liquid fuels\u201d, with co-firing in coal-fired power plants an \u201cimportant pathway\u2026to achieve low-carbon development\u201d, BJX News<\/a> reported. According to another BJX News<\/a> article, the NEA also said it attached \u201cgreat importance\u201d to the gas-power industry and would continue to plan new \u201cpeak-shaving gas-fired power plants\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n OTHER POLICIES: <\/strong>Elsewhere, the NEA released draft guidelines for \u201cassessing the capacity of power grids to accommodate distributed power sources\u201d, BJX News<\/a> said. Guangdong has become the first province in China to \u201crecognise greenhouse gas emissions quotas as legal collateral for loans\u201d, Yicai<\/a> reported. Xinhua<\/a> reported that the China Consumer Association has issued draft guidelines for \u201cgreen consumption\u201d that explore how \u201cevery green consumption choice can contribute to significant emission reduction effects\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n Guest spotlight: How China could decarbonise its cement industry<\/strong><\/p>\n China could use a \u201cwhole-of-system\u201d approach to decarbonise its cement industry, according to a report<\/a> released today by thinktank Climate Analytics<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In this issue, report author James Bowen, Climate Analytics climate and energy policy analyst, examines how China could reduce the sector\u2019s country-sized emissions.<\/p>\n China\u2019s challenge in managing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions accompanying its economic rise is best illustrated by cement.<\/p>\n From about<\/a> 200m tonnes (Mt) in 1990, Chinese cement production \u2013 almost all of which is domestically<\/a> consumed \u2013 climbed to 2.5bn tonnes (Gt) in 2014 and has remained<\/a> near this level for about a decade.<\/p>\n Its cement sector now emits more than the entire economies of all but three countries other than China itself \u2013 more than 1.2bn tonnes of CO2 (GtCO2) a year.<\/p>\n Cement decline significant but not enough for 1.5C<\/p>\n China\u2019s main cement emissions challenge is that it continues<\/a> to use far more cement and cement products per person than most countries.<\/p>\n Cement demand is now entering sustained decline as China\u2019s economy restructures<\/a>. Based on current trends, national production could drop<\/a> below 1Gt by 2050.<\/p>\n But analysts have estimated<\/a> that in addition to cutting demand \u2013\u00a0potentially even further than expected by 2050\u00a0\u2013 the emissions per unit of production would also need to fall, to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement.<\/p>\n Specifically, they estimate that emissions per unit would need to fall to around 360kg of CO2 per tonne by 2030 and 55-90kg by 2050. If each tonne of future Chinese cement continues to generate<\/a> about 550kg of CO2, as at present, then the sector will remain well off this pace.<\/p>\n This task is formidable. Cement is an inexpensive, high-performance building material with widely available feedstocks.\u00a0<\/p>\n About 90% of its emissions come<\/a> from producing clinker \u2013 a key ingredient.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unavoidable process emissions account for the majority<\/a> of these emissions. But producers globally have also not yet managed to eliminate the remainder of clinker emissions, which result from heating cement kilns.<\/p>\n Cement\u2019s emissions intensity in China has also rebounded since 2015, driven by new restrictions<\/a> on cement with lower clinker content, due to quality concerns.<\/p>\n Many areas of past emissions-reduction success in China\u2019s cement sector, such as energy efficiency, are approaching their technical limits.<\/p>\n These challenges help explain why carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) remains prominent in cement net-zero roadmaps globally.<\/p>\n But CCUS remains expensive<\/a> and underperforming<\/a>, given relatively little improvement in learning rates and related cost reductions. Plans to deploy CCUS therefore present a risk of diverting attention from cheaper and more effective abatement options\u00a0\u2013\u00a0or failing to deliver<\/a> as expected. This could sustain considerable mid-century residual emissions, jeopardising net-zero goals.<\/p>\n A \u2018whole-of-system\u2019 approach<\/p>\n An alternative \u201cwhole-of-system\u201d approach could help China meet its cement emissions challenge more cheaply, without relying so heavily on the promise of CCUS.<\/p>\n This could include enhanced cement demand reduction, such as by extending building lifespans; optimising how concrete is designed and used; using alternative materials \u2013 such as timber \u2013 where appropriate; and reducing and reusing construction waste.<\/p>\n It could also include accelerating uptake of lower-carbon production technologies, such as alternative cement kiln fuels, electrified kiln heating, as well as low-clinker and alternative binder<\/a> cements.<\/p>\n A wide range of policy support could advance this whole-of-system approach, including by ensuring a just transition<\/a> for cement workers and impacted communities.<\/p>\n China has said<\/a> it is working to include cement in the national emissions trading system<\/a> (ETS) by 2027.<\/p>\n China could also incentivise companies to use less clinker by adopting a cement-based ETS benchmark, rather than a clinker benchmark, which has encouraged<\/a> EU firms to continue using the carbon-intensive material under the region\u2019s own ETS.<\/p>\n China could also displace coal from kiln heating, by adopting European-like measures<\/a> to encourage the use of biomass or waste-derived fuels.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, reform in areas including industry standards<\/a>, finance<\/a>, market access <\/a>and research and development<\/a> could accelerate adoption of other low-emissions technologies and processes.<\/p>\n WINNING ON STEEL?: <\/strong>China is gradually putting the conditions in place to become a world leader in developing low-carbon steel, according to Canary Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n TRANSMISSION OMISSION: <\/strong>Jiemian<\/a> explored how limited transmission capacity and \u201cpricing discrepancies\u201d is hampering China\u2019s development of sending low-carbon power across provinces.<\/p>\n CHINA\u2019S RISE: <\/strong>The Asia Society<\/a> broadcasted a panel event from its summer summit discussing the factors behind China\u2019s rise as a leader in new-energy and other technologies.<\/p>\n INDUSTRIAL DECARBONISATION: <\/strong>The Institute for Global Decarbonization Progress<\/a> assessed key steps for improving China\u2019s ability to tackle industrial emissions through zero-carbon industrial parks, informed by an expert dialogue.<\/p>\n 15<\/strong><\/p>\n The number of people who died during flooding in northern China\u2019s Gansu province in early August, China Daily<\/a> reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n 13<\/strong><\/p>\n The death toll of flooding this week in Inner Mongolia, another northern province, according to Reuters<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Increasing tropical cyclone residence time along the Chinese coastline driven by track rotation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n npj Climate and Atmospheric Science<\/p>\n Tropical cyclones now spend \u201csubstantially\u201d more time travelling along China\u2019s coastal regions than they did in the 1980s, according to new research. The study found that tropical cyclones travelling along the coast of China have \u201cbecome more parallel to the coastline since the 1980s\u201d and the amount of time they spend travelling along the Chinese coast has increased by 2.5 hours per decade during this period. It added that these changes have \u201cled to prolonged durations of heavy rainfall in the coastal regions\u201d.<\/p>\n Avoided CO2 emissions in China\u2019s power sector by structural change and efficiency gain: An electric generating unit level analysis<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Resources, Conservation and Recycling<\/p>\n A new study estimated that the average carbon intensity of the electricity used in China fell from 983 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour (gCO2\/kwh) in 1997 to 545gCO2\/kwh in 2022, \u201ccumulatively avoiding 15.8bn tonnes of potential CO2 emissions\u201d. The study used electric-generating unit level data and decomposition analysis to evaluate the effects of different decarbonisation policies on power plants. It found that changes to the fuel mix in China\u2019s coal-fired power plants, reductions in the amount of heat energy needed to generate electricity and deployment of large-sized plants contributed most to reducing carbon emissions.<\/p>\n China Briefing is compiled by Wanyuan Song<\/a> and Anika Patel<\/a>. It is edited by Wanyuan Song and Dr Simon Evans<\/a>. Please send tips and feedback to [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to Carbon Brief\u2019s China Briefing. China Briefing handpicks and explains the most important climate and energy stories…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24171,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[269],"tags":[20353,381,20354,20355,20356,12692,12693,18,440,19,17,133],"class_list":{"0":"post-24170","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-cement","9":"tag-china","10":"tag-china-briefing","11":"tag-china-emission","12":"tag-china-emissions","13":"tag-china-energy","14":"tag-china-policy","15":"tag-eire","16":"tag-environment","17":"tag-ie","18":"tag-ireland","19":"tag-science"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/qrcode_for_gh_9c056d53c2b7_258-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
PETROCHEMICALS RISING: <\/strong>The only major sector that saw growth in emissions during the first half of 2025 was the chemicals sector, the Carbon Brief analysis said, rising around 47% year-on-year. At least one segment of the industry is \u201cset to expand by almost half between now and 2028\u201d, Reuters<\/a> cited a representative of oil giant Sinopec as saying. Meanwhile, state news agency Xinhua<\/a> said Sinopec is \u201cpromoting the construction of a Beautiful China<\/a> through the development of a beautiful petrochemical industry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n
![\"Chart:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cement_accounts_for_a_higher-than-average_share_of_emissions_in_China_despite_being_less_carbon-inte.png\")
Table comparing China\u2019s cement production benchmarks with the global average. Source: Climate Analytics.<\/p>\n