China's Carbon Emissions Fall For First Time Since Lockdowns: Report

The world's second biggest economy has vowed to peak emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 -- but authorities have struggled to wean the country off its dependence on fossil fuels.

China's CO2 emissions fell in the third quarter for the first time since the country reopened from Covid-19 lockdowns, research published Thursday showed, in what experts said could mark a carbon "turning point" for the country.

But the threat of economic slowdown could soon prompt authorities to turn to infrastructure stimulus measures, raising emissions again, the research by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) warned.

The world's second biggest economy has vowed to peak emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 -- but authorities have struggled to wean the country off its dependence on fossil fuels.

China's emissions fell dramatically in early 2020 due to sweeping quarantines aimed at curbing the coronavirus, then rebounded to higher than 2019 monthly levels as cities and factories reopened.