China’s greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion could be as much as 14 percent lower than previously thought, according to a sweeping new study released yesterday.
the findings don’t change China’s status as the world’s largest emitter of climate change pollution, they could have serious policy implications ahead of key U.N. negotiations in Paris.
The study comes as leaders from nearly 200 nations are crafting a new global climate change accord that is expected to be signed in Paris in December. China’s contribution is a pledge to peak its climate pollution by 2030 and to curb carbon intensity—emissions per unit of gross domestic product—60 to 65 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
To meet those goals, the Chinese government recently released policies to cap coal consumption. According to the study, almost three-quarters of the growth in global emissions came from the burning of fossil fuels and cement production between 2010 and 2012 in China.