China carbon emissions exceeded OECD total in 2019 -research

(Reuters, 6 May 2021) China put out more than a quarter of the world's total emissions in 2019, with the total rising further in 2020, researchers say.

China's annual greenhouse gas emissions stood at 27% of the world total in 2019, exceeding combined OECD emissions for the first time, according to research published on Thursday.

The Rhodium Group, a U.S.-based think tank, said China's emissions in 2019 reached more than 14 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent, more than triple its level in 1990.

Final data for 2020 is not available, the group said, but it estimated China's emissions rose by 1.7% last year, as those from the rest of the world declined due to COVID-19.

China does not issue regular data about how much it emits. Its most recent carbon "inventory" submitted to the United Nations in 2019 showed annual emissions had grown to 12.3 gigatonnes by 2014, up 53% in a decade.

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Reuters, 6 May 2021: China carbon emissions exceeded OECD total in 2019 -research