China's greenhouse gas emissions to peak years ahead of goal: report

By Park Sae-jin Posted : June 12, 2015, 13:57 Updated : June 12, 2015, 13:57
China's greenhouse gas emissions could peak more than five years earlier than expected, which will contribute to the effort of curbing global warming, according to a report jointly published Monday by two institutes at the London School of Economics.

Analyzing trends in the key emitting sectors, researchers concluded that China's greenhouse gas emissions are unlikely to peak as late as 2030, the upper limit set by the Chinese government last year, and are much more likely to peak by 2025, or even earlier than that, the report sad.

The researchers also say that if China's greenhouse gas emissions peak by 2025, they would reach between 12.5 and 14 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This finding suggests it is increasingly likely that the world will avoid global warming of more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

China's transformation has profound implications for the global economy, and "greatly increases the prospects for keeping global greenhouse gas emissions within relatively safe limits," the report said.

By Ruchi Singh

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