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China is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO₂). But the Asian giant recently reached another important milestone.
In the first half of 2026, less than half of China's electricity was generated by coal, for the first time in the country's history.
Twenty years ago, coal rocks were the basis of China's economy. Energy generated by coal represented 80% of all electricity consumed by the country during its rapid modernization phase.
But even with the increase in overall electricity demand since then, the growth of solar and wind energy has increasingly reduced dependence on coal.
This change is significant and its results are a strong signal for the country's (and the entire world's) efforts to achieve zero carbon emissions.
A study indicates that the growth of Chinese CO₂ emissions has virtually stopped in recent years. And another analysis claims that China's emissions may even have peaked in 2025, five years before the deadline set by the country itself.
From solar megafarms to electric trucks, here are five charts that tell the story behind China's sharp reduction in emissions. They show how the country reached this milestone and what Beijing has ahead of it in its race to reach the goal of zero emissions by 2060.
Bending the curve
The Chinese economy has witnessed monumental growth over the past three decades. And the same happened with its CO₂ emissions, which increased by around five times between 1990 and 2024.
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China's share of global CO₂ emissions soared from around 10% to more than 30% during the same period, representing the largest global increase.
China plays a "fundamental role" in the global fight against climate change, not only because it is the largest emitter of CO₂, but also because its emissions have grown at a faster rate, according to research analyst Yu Aiqun, from the NGO Global Energy Monitor (GEM), based in the United States.
"When China's carbon emissions peak, global carbon emissions will also likely peak," she said.
Some believe that China has already reached its watershed.
Chinese carbon emissions reached their highest level in 2024 and fell in 2025, according to data from the collaborative Climate Action Tracker (CAT) project, which assesses governments' climate actions. The CAT predicts that the country's carbon emissions will fall by around 18% by 2035.
Another analysis, from the Finland-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), concluded that Chinese CO₂ emissions have remained stable or fallen since March 2024, except for a small increase in early 2026.
Similar trends have happened before, for example, when the Chinese government reduced steel production and coal-generated power between 2014 and 2016 and during the Covid-19 pandemic, when lockdowns disrupted transport and industrial activity.
But this time, there is a fundamental difference, according to the head of CREA's China specialist team, Belinda Schäpe.
The current rapid decline is not only caused by falling production in certain heavy industries, but also by the "huge expansion" of clean energy and the growing use of electricity (replacing fossil fuels) to power machines, vehicles and appliances in China.
It is difficult to say for sure whether China has already reached the peak of its CO₂ emissions, expected to occur by 2030. Beijing's current policy language is "ambiguous", according to CREA's lead analyst, Lauri Myllyvirta.
"The government has not defined what peak emissions mean — whether the expression refers to the stabilization of emissions or their maximum level followed by decline — and how the verification will be carried out," he explains.
China has not yet confirmed whether its CO₂ emissions have peaked. The most recent emissions data published by the government are from 2021.
The most important thing, however, is whether Chinese emissions will fall quickly after the peak or remain at high levels, according to Yu. After all, even a 1% reduction would have a profound impact on global climate action, she says.
Renewable revolution
Under strong Chinese political guidance, huge solar and wind power plants have been built in the desert, vast arrays of solar panels have been mounted on the roofs of homes, and gigantic wind turbines make use of the strong winds off the Chinese coast.
In 2023 alone, China installed 217 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels. This number represents more than that installed by the United States in its entire history. And the Asian country repeated the feat in 2024 and 2025.
The wave of renewable energy has prevented China from being restricted to fossil fuels, even as it needs to generate more and more electricity every year to power air conditioners, electric vehicles and data centers, according to climate policy analyst Norah Zhang of the Germany-based NewClimate Institute.
The country's renewable energy production capacity grew so quickly that solar and wind power were more than enough to cover China's rising electricity demand every year. In doing so, she paved the way for the country to "expel coal from its energy system," says Zhang.
In July 2026, China's installed solar energy capacity surpassed coal for the first time. But it should be noted that coal still generates much more electricity than solar sources, which generally provide less electricity per GW of capacity.
With the rise of renewable energy, China is facing difficulties in storing or using the excess solar and wind energy generated, as electrical grids are reaching their limits.
In the first six months of 2026, China wasted about 360 terawatt hours (TWh) of solar and wind energy, according to CREA. This energy would be enough to power the United Kingdom for a year.
The Chinese challenge now is to ensure that its energy system can effectively employ its growing renewable energy production capacity, explains Schäpe. The country needs to reform its energy market, create incentives and update its energy infrastructure, according to her.
The coal challenge
The share of Chinese electricity generated by coal continues to shrink rapidly.
In 2025, coal generated about 54% of the country's electrical energy. This index fell even further, reaching a historic low of 49.7% between January and June 2026, according to the National Energy Administration of China.
The drop proves that the adoption of renewable energy is not only technically feasible, but also that it is cost competitive, according to Greenpeace East Asia global policy advisor Yao Zhe.
Wind and solar energy accounted for 25% of Chinese generation in the first half of the year, according to government data. And Greenpeace projects that this rate will increase to 33% by 2028 and 40% by 2030.
The Chinese objective is more conservative. The country aims to produce 30% of its electricity with solar and wind generators by 2030.
But researchers warn that China still has a long way to go to abandon the use of coal. The drop in the share of electricity generated by coal does not mean a reduction in the amount of this type of energy, explains Schäpe.
China produced 3.4% more coal-fired power in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to a joint assessment by CREA and GEM. “The use of coal to generate energy remains high,” according to Schäpe.
Coal-fired generating facilities have also been growing rapidly in China. In the first half of this year, 30 gigawatts (GW) of new plants came into operation in the country — the highest number since 2016.
Another 274 GW is waiting to be built, which could expand China's coal-fired power production capacity by more than 20%.
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China views coal as a safety net for its energy sector transition and a foundation for the country's energy security and economic growth, according to Yu. But it believes its continued expansion could damage China's reputation as a global leader in renewable energy.
Still, China has managed to keep its emissions at stable levels, due in part to falling emissions from the steel and cement industries, which were caused by the collapse of the country's vast real estate sector, according to Schäpe.
But she highlights that one of the main causes of the reduction in emissions is the drop in oil consumption for use in transport, due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the rapid electrification of the sector.
The growth of electric vehicles
China has left other countries behind in terms of adopting electric vehicles. And the impact on emissions is already beginning to appear.
Between January and June 2026, the Chinese fleet of electric cars, trucks and buses helped avoid the consumption of 36 million tons of oil, according to CREA — equivalent to half of the United Kingdom's annual consumption.
In July, more than six in every 10 new cars sold in China were "new energy," the Chinese government's term for pure electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles powered by alternative fuels such as hydrogen.
Electric vehicle sales in China are expected to reach 14.3 million units in 2026, almost three times more than in Europe and 12 times more than in the United States, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Buses, cars and motorcycles have led the development of electric vehicles on Chinese roads over the past 15 years. Now, trucks have taken over.
Sales of electric trucks have grown exponentially in China over the past two years. More than 400 thousand units were sold in 2025 alone.
This extraordinary growth was largely due to the increase in heavy electric trucks, according to researcher Mao Shiyue, from the International Council on Clean Transport (ICCT), based in Washington, United States.
The Chinese government requires companies from dozens of sectors to employ a certain proportion of electric trucks in their transport fleets. Otherwise, they will face restrictions on high pollution days.
As China's electric vehicle fleet soars, so does pressure on its power grid, which needs to balance electricity supply and demand in real time.
"If many electric vehicles charge their batteries at the same time, especially in fast charging mode, there may be difficulties in maintaining grid stability," according to Mao.
The expansion of batteries
Batteries are key to China's ambition to achieve zero emissions. After all, they power your fleet of electric vehicles and store excess electricity for future use.
China is a world leader in battery energy storage systems. The country represented more than half of global capacity at the end of 2025.
These systems receive and store excess renewable electricity, which is sent back to the grid during periods of maximum energy demand. This is done, for example, by storing solar energy generated during the day to release it to the grid at night.
Batteries “are a fundamental component of a future grid that will use an increasing share of wind and solar energy,” explains Yang Biqing, an analyst at UK-based energy think tank Ember.
In recent years, China has required wind and solar plants to build or buy a certain amount of energy storage capacity to help the grid absorb the electricity they generate.
This policy, combined with the falling price of lithium batteries, began a remarkable transition.
By the end of March 2026, China had installed about 150 GW of energy storage capacity using lithium batteries, which is more than half of the rest of the world combined, according to Ember.
China intends to build, by 2027, more than 180 GW of renewable energy storage capacity, using mainly batteries. But the country's energy storage plants are currently severely underutilized, according to Ember.
Expanding its use (and, by extension, its profitability) will require other fundamental changes to China's electricity grid and its energy trading system, which were designed to operate with coal, according to Yang.
China's heavy investment in clean energy and electric vehicles has begun to bear fruit, altering its energy structure and crucially reversing the trajectory of its carbon emissions.
But for many people, a fundamental question remains: Will China's emissions rise again if its stagnant economy begins to recover?
For Yu, coal is deeply embedded in every aspect of the Chinese economy. And removing him from this position is "the biggest challenge" facing the Asian superpower, in its attempt to achieve zero carbon emissions.
Read the original version of this report (in English) on the BBC Earth website.
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