China Reports Nearly 54% Hike in GHG Emissions

In its latest carbon “inventory” submitted to the United Nations (U.N.) this week, China’s Environment Ministry reported that its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are up nearly 54 percent over the last decade.

CNBC reports that China’s GHG emissions hit 12.3 billion tonnes in 2014, which is up 53.5 percent for the 2005-2014 timeframe. As a signatory to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, China is obligated to submit an official inventory to the U.N. regularly.

The report also notes that China’s 2014 figure includes emissions of GHGs like carbon dioxide and methane but does not make adjustments based on changes in land use or increases in forest coverage.

CNBC has more details:

China’s climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions hit 12.3 billion tonnes in 2014, up 53.5% in just a decade, the environment ministry said on Monday, citing the country’s latest carbon “inventory” submitted to the United Nations.

China’s carbon emissions data is notoriously opaque, but as a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Beijing is obliged to submit an official inventory to the UN on a regular basis. It has previously released figures for 2005 and 2010.

As the world’s biggest greenhouse gas producer, China is aiming to bring its total emissions to a peak by “around 2030”, though it has also pledged to show “the highest possible ambition” when it reviews its targets next year.

Read the full article here.