China’s carbon emissions may not have fallen as much as originally thought

China’s greenhouse gas emissions are on a downward trajectory, but its emissions may not have fallen quite as much over the past two years as the Chinese government and the International Energy Agency have suggested.

That’s the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, which says China’s emissions may have actually increased in 2014, rather than fallen.

The International Energy Agency estimated last year that both the decline in China’s coal use and falling electricity demand reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5% in 2014, leading to a 0.2% reduction in global emissions. Read more…