China’s Carbon Emissions After the Pandemic

Is China on a path to peak its greenhouse gas emissions in the near future? We compare
trends in carbon emissions and energy production in the first five months of 2019 to the
first five months of 2023. Emissions grew substantially, especially from the energy sector.
Though renewable energy production has increased substantially, coal production is
growing more strongly than before the pandemic. The changing geopolitical environment
may further impede the peaking of emissions in China.