China’s Q3 2026 CO₂ Emissions Drop 3.1%, Largest Since Covid

China’s carbon dioxide emissions fell 3.1 % in the third quarter of 2026, the steepest quarterly decline since the 2022 Covid lockdowns. Official data show coal use slipped 3 % year‑on‑year and oil consumption fell 4 %. The drop was driven by a 3.3 % reduction in coal‑power generation, a 9 % year‑on‑year fall in transport oil use, and a slowdown in the coal‑to‑chemical sector. Clean‑energy output rose 110 TWh, more than double the growth in total electricity demand, while electric‑vehicle sales captured 67 % of passenger cars and 50 % of heavy trucks, boosting electricity use by 53 %. These trends have kept China’s CO₂ trajectory flat or falling for over two years, and the new data suggest that clean‑power growth will continue to outpace overall energy demand, sustaining a structural decline in fossil‑fuel use.