China's greenhouse emissions in 2019 exceeded all developed countries combined: Report
May 09, 2021
Beijing [China], May 9 : According to a think tank report, China's greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 exceeded the combined total of all developed countries, more than triple than its 1990 levels.
The new research from Rhodium Group on Thursday found that in that year, China's carbon emissions had increased by 25 per cent than that decade, reported The Independent.
Not only has China stretched past the US in terms of planet-heating pollution by accounting for 11 per cent of global emissions in 2019, it also surpassed the emissions of all developed countries combined, said the report.
In 2019, China's emissions reached 10.1 tonnes for each person, tripling over 20 years. However, this is less than per capita levels across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations (at 10.5 tonnes) and well below Americans' at 17.6 tonnes.
The proliferation of coal plants have largely driven greenhouse gas pollution in China, according to The Independent.
"A large share of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere each year hangs around for hundreds of years. As a result, current global warming is the result of emissions from both the recent and more distant past," said the Rhodium report.
Last month, US President Joe Biden had announced the country's updated climate goal ahead of the White House's Leaders' Summit, pledging to cut carbon emissions as much as 52 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.
In his address at the White House climate summit, Biden had said that the US will partner with other countries on climate-related innovations.
According to The Hill, Biden had said the US would team up with Sweden and India to decarbonise the industrial sector, with the United Kingdom to reach a carbon-free power sector and work on agriculture with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and others.
Biden also said he was "heartened" by Russian President Vladimir Putin's call to collaborate with other countries on advancing carbon dioxide removal.
"These steps will set America's economy to net-zero emissions by no later than 2050. But the truth is America represents less than 15 per cent of the emissions. No nations can solve this crisis on their own," he added.
