The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in China hit 13bn tonnes in 2021, marking a 4.3% increase compared to the previous year, the country said in its first biennial transparency report on climate change submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2024.
The report showed that annual GHG emissions, including carbon dioxide and methane among other gases, increased by more than 70% as compared to 2005, driven mostly by the rising energy demand. The emissions attributed to energy sector accounted for 11bn tonnes which is 76.9% of the total.
The cement sector emission was 802mn tonnes in 2021, falling by 3.2% on the year, and emissions from steel smelting also fell 2.3% to 65.5mn tonnes. The country had set a target to cut the amount of carbon dioxide produced per unit of economic growth by 18% between 2021 and 2025. However, it is struggling to meet the same.
World's largest polluter, China is a signatory to the Paris Agreement of 2015 and is required to submit its emission data to the United Nations as well as a progress report on climate change adaptation and mitigation.
The last official statement of the country mentioned that the total emissions for 2017 at 11.55bn tonnes.
According to a Reuters report, China said that it would have to spend 26.8 trillion yuan ($3.66 trillion) from 2024 to become carbon neutral by 2060.
India's GHG Emissions
Meanwhile, the third largest GHG emitter, India released 2.4bn tonnes emissions in 2020, as mentioned in its fourth biennial update report submitted to the United Nations. It said that the emissions emissions decreased by 7.93% in 2020 as compared with the year earlier. Energy sector contributed 75.7% to the total emissions in that year. The total emissions rose by 144% from 1994 to 2020.
In the report, India also said that the country's emission intensity of gross domestic product (GDP) reduced by 36% between 2005 and 2020. As part of its nationally determined contributions submitted under Paris agreement, and updated in 2022, India has set a target to reduce its GDP emission intensity by 45% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.
