China's CO2 Emissions Flat for 18 Months as Renewables Surge

Published 16 hours ago

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Above: The China Coal Hongxing Power plant in the Gobi in Hami, Xinjiang province, China, on April 13, 2025. Image copyright: Costfoto/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-China narrative

China's plateauing carbon emissions prove that the nation leads global climate action with an unprecedented commitment. The country achieved historic results through concrete action, building the world's largest renewable energy system and fastest-growing clean energy capacity. China's ambitious 2035 targets demonstrate extraordinary determination, planning emission cuts of 7%-10% in just five years after peaking — a timeline no major economy has matched.

Global Times XINHUA

Anti-China narrative

China's modest 7%-10% emission reduction target falls drastically short of the 30% cuts needed for Paris climate goals, exposing weak climate ambitions. The regime's green technology investments primarily serve strategic economic and control purposes rather than genuine environmental concern. Without addressing coal dependency and with reduction targets too low, China's climate commitments remain inadequate for meaningful global warming prevention.

The Epoch Times Independent

Climate-skeptic narrative

Climate alarmism risks turning environmental policy into a panic-driven crusade, diverting attention from tangible issues like poverty, infrastructure decay, and political corruption. When every weather event is framed as an existential threat, rational prioritization collapses. Nations obsessed with symbolic climate gestures may end up neglecting the very foundations that make real sustainability possible.

Financial Post