Will the impact of decarbonising our energy system be enough when you factor in the emissions from China?
Myth busting series
How do we respond to these questions, what is the truth behind the headlines? Our Myth busting series aims to provide the facts that support these conversations.
We hear a lot about the high carbon emissions of countries such as China and India, but this is in part due to them being two of the most populous nations on Earth. According to the figures sourced from the Global Carbon Project in 2022 China is the county with the highest carbon emissions, responsible for 32% of global emissions followed by United Stated, India, Russia and Japan.
Image of a city in China
Emissions per head of population
However, with a population of 1.4 billion people, this means tremendous demand for energy dependent industries. Total emissions is only part of the picture, considering carbon emissions per capita gives a more accurate picture of a country’s carbon footprint relative to its population size. Per head of population China’s emissions are lower than both the USA and Canada and over 20 other countries.
Outsourcing to China
It is also true that the emissions of countries such as China are high because we in the West have outsourced a significant proportion of the manufacturing of the goods we consume to them.
Boom in Green Technology
Crucially China saw emissions decline in the 12 months up to May 2025, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). This would be the first time emissions have fallen even as demand for power across the Chinese economy continues to grow. Much of the decrease in emissions can be put down to countrywide investments in wind and solar as China’s green tech revolution is booming.
Wind turbines in rural China
According to UK based energy think tank Ember China was the world’s largest solar generator in 2024 with nearly three times more than the second-ranked United States.
A report by Global Energy Monitor in mid-2024 found that China was constructing twice as much wind and solar as the rest of the world combined.
Recent research from the International Energy Agency (IEA) found that China is expected to account for almost 60% of the renewable energy capacity installed worldwide between now and 2030.
The UK has been a global leader on climate issues
As the first country to adopt legally binding targets (2008 Climate Change Act), with targets for 2050 and legally binding five-year carbon budgets to take us there, it is important to continue to lead by example.
This is the best way to influence other countries, it is difficult politically to demand other countries to reduce their carbon emissions, if we can’t show that we are reducing our own emissions.
It is noticeable that a number of countries quoted the UK’s step away from a focus on net zero during the last Conservative government as a reason for them to not do so much. We can’t encourage others to take action and build a collective international response to the climate crisis unless we are doing our bit too.
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