The coronavirus outbreak caused about 25 percent less CO2 emissions in China at the beginning of this year. An unprecedented decline, after the country largely stalled from early February to mid-March.
CO2 emissions higher than last year
Meanwhile, CO2 emissions in China have increased rapidly again. Coal-fired power stations and industry are back at full speed. The number of flights has also risen again.
China even emitted more carbon dioxide (CO2) in May than in the same month last year, the graph below shows. The blue line is the CO2 emissions of 2019, the red ones of 2020. This is an increase of about four to five percent, according to statistics from the Chinese government.
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Analysts mainly point to the production of cement in China. This is mainly used for infrastructure and real estate projects. Demand for diesel has also increased. The freight sector is recovering and the Chinese are less likely to choose public transport because of the corona virus.
Rising
In total, CO2 emissions from China this year are still lower than last year. It is difficult to predict whether the upward trend will continue.
It does seem, however, that China wants to keep the economy going with large construction projects, in which, according to environmental organizations, the country will take less account of greenhouse gas emissions.
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