Last updated:
28 Feb. 2026
“We know net zero is the only solution to limiting increasingly dangerous climate change impacts, but we also know net zero represents exceptionally good business, something not lost on China. That their emissions may now be reaching a tipping point is huge news for net zero, although it should surprise no-one who has been paying attention to the sheer scale of China’s investment in clean energy – both for deployment at home, and to supply global markets. Such an important moment should surely put an end to critics of climate action in the west seeking to use China as an excuse to weaken low-carbon polices in their own countries.”
Dr Ella Gilbert, a climate scientist formerly of the British Antarctic Survey said:”Cutting emissions to net zero is the only scientific solution to tackling climate change. So falling emissions from one of the world’s biggest polluters is huge news. And it shows that the backwards USA is not the only nation that matters when it comes to greenhouse gases. And meanwhile, climate heating is barrelling along at pace, driving destruction across the planet. But while a decline in Chinese emissions is great news, humanity needs to do much more, much faster. To avoid even more devastating climate chaos, the rest of the world needs to pick up the slack and slash emissions too… all the way to zero.”
Dr Duo Chan, Lecturer in Climate Sciences at the University of Southampton said: “This is an encouraging signal, as it suggests that the sort of large-scale energy transition which China has been investing heavily in has begun to translate into measurable outcomes, which is exactly the kind of progress the world needs to see. Whilst one year of lower emissions does not mean that the climate challenge is solved, the scale of China’s deployment of renewables can lead us to hope that this may be the start of a sustained decline in its emissions. More broadly, the Paris goals cannot be delivered by one country alone, regardless of which country it is. Meeting them will also require much faster action across all major economies if we’re to cut emissions to net zero, an essential condition for tackling climate change.”
Dr Kathryn Brown, Science Director at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said:“The UK government’s national security advisors – informed by UKCEH science – warned recently of the serious threats posed to the UK by ecosystem collapse and global biodiversity loss. Climate change – the major driver of that – can only be halted by cutting planet-warming emissions to net zero. Our chances of achieving that have been given a significant boost by news that the world’s biggest emitter, China, has seemingly turned the corner on their carbon dioxide emissions. Whilst we are still a long way off, China’s progress should serve to bolster our global efforts as the only way to protect and expand our planet’s natural systems, which remain crucial to every aspect of our lives, from the air we breathe, to the food we eat.”
Notes to editors:
1. Statistical Communiqué of the People’s Republic of China on the 2025 National Economic and Social Development – National Bureau of Statistics: https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfbhjd/202602/t20260228_1962662.html
2. Lauri Myllyvirta of the Centre for Energy and Clean Air (CREA) on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mfvkpcpwcc2p