China could peak its carbon emissions earlier than planned: report

China is posed to peak its carbon emissions ahead of plan as the country pushes for more new energy projects to save the people from climate change, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Sunday.

The report cited international climate watchdogs who say that China's progress in replacing carbon energy with new energy is faster than many have expected.

China's annual increase in electricity demanded in 2023 was entirely covered by newly-built clean energy capacity – a first in the country's history – according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), an intergovernmental organization that analyzes the global energy sector.

This means that China's carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants will start to drop in the coming years, the IEA told WSJ.

China's installed capacity of renewable energy exceeded 1.45 billion kilowatts in 2023, accounting for more than 50 percent of the country's total installed power generation capacity, according to data released by the National Energy Administration (NEA).

Such data goes inline with third-party monitors like UK-based nonprofit Transition Zero, who uses satellite imaging to monitor emissions in China. The organization told WSJ that the official data is "broadly aligned and consistent" with their own version.

Read more: Major progress achieved in China's renewable energy industry in 2023