China's clean technology exports prevented more CO2 emissions than the UK
According to a new analysis, China's green technology boom is having a greater impact on climate change than Britain's carbon emissions.
According to Lauri Myllyvirta of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air in Helsinki, Chinese exports of solar panels, batteries, wind turbines and electric vehicles avoided 374 millions metric tons (MtCO2) of carbon dioxide last year.
China's clean tech exports to India in 2025 will?eliminate 6,900 MtCO2, a 31% increase from 2024, and about twice the emissions of India last year.
China is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world and also the top producer and exporter for technologies that reduce emissions. Chinese wind turbines and?solar panel, batteries, and electric vehicles, produced at low cost and in large quantities, have revolutionized the economics of decarbonisation and electrification, especially in developing countries.
The analysis found that almost a third (33%) of the avoided carbon emissions came from solar exports into South Asia. Pakistan, which is experiencing a solar boom at the moment, has one of the largest shares in solar power generation worldwide.
Myllyvirta said that five years ago, the current growth of solar and electric vehicles, especially in emerging countries, wasn't on anyone's radar.
"Just like the manufacturing boom resulted in increased supply and lower?prices,?the world experienced two price shocks for fossil fuels over the last five years. This gave adoption an additional push."
According to Chinese customs statistics, exports of 'clean technologies', such as solar panels, windmills, batteries, and?electric cars, amounted to $194 billion in 2017. By?June of this year, shipments had already reached $128 Billion.
Our World in Data data shows that despite rapid growth, the emissions avoided by these?exports are still small in comparison to the global carbon emissions in 2024. These emissions were estimated to be 39 billion tons.
(source: Reuters)
