East Asia · CHN
China Environmental Profile
China's environmental profile is defined by scale and simultaneous transition. Territorial fossil and industrial CO₂ reached 12.29 billion tonnes in 2024, almost five times the 1990 total, while primary energy use per person rose more than fivefold. Coal still generated 57.8% of electricity, yet hydropower, wind, solar, and bioenergy together supplied 33.7%—nearly ten percentage points more than in 2015. FAO reports a large net forest-area gain, but that national balance does not describe habitat quality or the location of ecological change. The Red List Index fell to 0.72 and protected coverage of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas remained only 10.1%. China's central question is therefore whether rapid clean-technology deployment can displace fossil generation and industrial emissions fast enough while conservation outcomes improve, rather than simply expanding alongside continued high-carbon growth.
At a glance
Six signals, each with its own clock
Values are not forced into a false common year. The observation year and source sit on every card.
- Net forest-area change
- +1,611,000 ha/year
Net gain in the latest interval
Original interpretation
What stands out
Each insight connects multiple indicators instead of repeating a headline number.
Clean-energy scale has not yet produced an emissions peak
China generated more wind and solar electricity than any other country in 2024, and renewable generation reached one-third of its enormous power system. Total territorial CO₂ still rose to a series high. The contrast matters: additions become climate progress only when they avoid or retire fossil output rather than mainly serving new electricity demand.
See the evidenceCoal's share is falling more slowly than the system is growing
Coal supplied 57.8% of electricity in 2024, below earlier shares but still dominant in absolute generation. Because the grid exceeds 10,000 TWh, a smaller percentage can coexist with vast coal output. Tracking tonnes of CO₂ and fossil terawatt-hours alongside percentage shares reveals whether clean additions are actually displacing combustion.
See the evidenceForest expansion and biodiversity decline can coexist
FAO's latest assessment records a net forest-area gain of 1.61 million hectares per year, while the Red List Index declined and protected terrestrial KBA coverage stood at 10.1%. Planted forest, restoration, mature habitat, and species protection are not interchangeable, so the positive area balance should not be read as a comprehensive biodiversity result.
See the evidenceEmissions
A trajectory, not just a latest value
Territorial fossil and industrial CO₂, with total and per-person views using the same selected years.
China CO₂ history
12.29 billion t in 2024, compared with 2,483.5 million t CO₂ in 1990.
The complete values are available in the data table below. JavaScript adds the visual chart.
View emissions data table
| Year | Total (t CO₂) | Per person (t) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2,483,534,300 | 2.15 |
| 1995 | 3,351,197,200 | 2.75 |
| 2000 | 3,643,809,500 | 2.87 |
| 2005 | 5,881,990,700 | 4.49 |
| 2010 | 8,610,048,000 | 6.37 |
| 2015 | 9,858,040,000 | 7.06 |
| 2020 | 10,896,520,000 | 7.64 |
| 2021 | 11,284,401,000 | 7.91 |
| 2022 | 11,711,807,000 | 8.22 |
| 2023 | 12,172,008,000 | 8.56 |
| 2024 | 12,289,037,000 | 8.66 |
Energy transition
Electricity is the leading edge—not the whole system
Generation shares show the power recipe. Primary energy per person supplies the wider context.
Renewable electricity share
33.7% in 2024.
The complete values are available in the data table below. JavaScript adds the visual chart.
View renewable-share data table
| Year | Renewable share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.64% |
| 2005 | 16.17% |
| 2010 | 18.69% |
| 2015 | 23.97% |
| 2020 | 28.09% |
| 2021 | 28.69% |
| 2022 | 30.18% |
| 2023 | 30.61% |
| 2024 | 33.70% |
Electricity mix, 2024
10,086.9 TWh of domestic generation; shares are derived from the nine source rows.
- Coal
- 57.77% 5,827.60 TWh
- Gas
- 3.18% 320.72 TWh
- Oil
- 0.88% 88.88 TWh
- Nuclear
- 4.47% 450.85 TWh
- Hydropower
- 13.43% 1,354.25 TWh
- Wind
- 9.88% 997.04 TWh
- Solar
- 8.32% 839.04 TWh
- Bioenergy
- 2.07% 208.50 TWh
- Other renewables
- 0.00% 0.00 TWh
Land and food
Net forest change and agricultural gases
Two useful indicators with deliberately separate accounting boundaries.
Net forest-area change
2025+1,611,000 ha/year
Expansion minus deforestation; this is not gross natural-forest loss. 2020–2025 average.
Agricultural emissions
2023695.1 Mt CO₂e
IPCC Agriculture greenhouse gases in CO₂e; excludes land-use CO₂ and energy.
Climate risk and biodiversity
Scores need direction, definition, and restraint
Exposure is kept separate from vulnerability and readiness; biodiversity coverage is not presented as ecological success.
Climate exposure
20240.455 / 1
0 is lower; 1 is higher
Modeled biophysical exposure component of ND-GAIN; invariant across the time series.
Climate vulnerability
20240.394 / 1
Down from 0.417 in 1995
Exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity combined; lower is better.
Adaptation readiness
20240.455 / 1
1 is more ready
Economic, governance, and social readiness to convert investment into adaptation.
Red List Index
20240.72 / 1
Down from 0.82 in 1995
Closer to 1 indicates lower aggregate extinction risk among assessed groups.
Protected KBA coverage
202410.1%
+6.9 points since 2000
Average share of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas.
Synthesis
Connections to watch
Watch 01
Compare absolute coal generation with renewable additions, not only their shares.
Watch 02
Separate net forest area from habitat condition, natural-forest integrity, and species trends.
Watch 03
Watch whether industrial efficiency and electrification finally decouple energy services from territorial CO₂.
What these numbers cannot tell us: National indicators cannot resolve local inequality, implementation quality, ecosystem condition, or the lived impacts of pollution and climate hazards. They are a starting map for investigation, not a verdict.
Methodology and downloads
A reproducible, bounded snapshot
24Earth retrieved this snapshot on 14 July 2026 and stores it locally. Each source is refreshed on its own schedule, so every metric retains its observation year instead of being relabeled “current.” Values are rounded only for display; downloads retain source precision where reuse permits.
Indicator data dictionary and source ledger
| Source family | Coverage / update | License / reuse | Boundary and 24Earth treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Carbon Budget (2025), processed by Our World in Data Global Carbon Project and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-11-13 | Source citation requested; OWID Chart API material is CC BY 4.0 where applicable, with original source terms continuing to apply. | Territorial fossil-fuel and industrial CO₂. Land-use change is excluded. |
| Yearly Electricity Data, compiled by Our World in Data Ember via Our World in Data | Through 2024–2025, depending on country; source update 2026-04-24 | CC BY 4.0 | 24Earth uses 2000 onward so the displayed generation data is within Ember coverage, avoiding legacy Energy Institute rows. |
| International primary energy consumption per capita U.S. Energy Information Administration | Through 2024; source update 2026 | U.S. government data are public domain; attribution requested. | EIA series INTL.47-33-{ISO3}-MBTUPP.A converted from million Btu per person to kWh per person using 293.07107. This is EIA, not IEA. |
| Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, processed by Our World in Data | Through 2025; source update 2025-12-05 | FAO open-data terms; attribution required. | Average annual net forest-area change for the latest assessment interval, not gross tree-cover loss. |
| FAOSTAT Emissions Totals — IPCC Agriculture Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Through 2023; source update 2025-10-28 | CC BY 4.0 with FAO database terms | Item 1711, IPCC Agriculture; Element 723113, emissions in CO₂-equivalent using AR5 factors; FAO Tier 1. Source kt CO₂e values are multiplied by 1,000 for displayed tonnes. |
| World Population Prospects 2024 United Nations, processed by Our World in Data | Through 2023; source update 2024 | United Nations data terms; attribution required. | Historical population estimate used for context; it is not forced to the year of other indicators. |
| ND-GAIN Country Index 2026 release Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative | Through 2024; source update 2026-06-26 | CC BY 3.0 | Exposure is a modeled biophysical index from 0 (lower) to 1 (higher); it is not observed disaster loss. |
| Red List Index (UN SDG 15.5.1) BirdLife International and IUCN, distributed through UN SDG data and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-10-29 | Original IUCN and BirdLife reuse terms apply. Display only; omitted from downloads. | A national aggregate from OWID's 2025-10-29 snapshot is displayed with attribution. It differs from a later live UNSD revision, so versions are not blended. Raw species data and this metric are excluded from 24Earth downloads. |
| Protected coverage of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas (UN SDG 15.1.2) BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC, distributed through UN SDG data and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-10-29 | Original provider and Protected Planet reuse terms apply. Display only; omitted from downloads. | The national SDG aggregate is displayed with attribution. Raw protected-area and KBA data are not redistributed by 24Earth. |
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CSV is analysis-friendly; JSON preserves definitions, precision, and source metadata. Biodiversity aggregates are intentionally omitted from both files while original reuse rights are reviewed.
Licensing decision: This profile does not redistribute IEA data. Primary energy comes from U.S. EIA. Electricity history begins in Ember’s openly licensed modern coverage. Source access and reuse permission are treated as separate questions.
