China Meteorological Administration: The growth rate of China's total carbon emissions in 2024 is lower than the global average

At the December press conference held by the China Meteorological Administration, the "China Greenhouse Gas Bulletin (2024)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Bulletin") was officially released. The Bulletin shows that the total anthropogenic carbon emissions in China in 2024 will increase by about 0.6% compared to 2023, significantly narrowing the growth rate from 2023 and lower than the global growth rate of 0.8%, indicating that China's active fulfillment of carbon reduction commitments has achieved practical results.

Zeng Qin, Director of the Science and Technology Department and Director of the International Cooperation Department of the China Meteorological Administration, introduced that the "Bulletin" has been released for the 14th consecutive year, aiming to serve the country's response to climate change and "dual carbon" goals, and to echo the global bulletin issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The latest data released by the World Meteorological Organization in October this year shows that the concentration of major greenhouse gases near the ground will continue to rise globally in 2024, with the annual average concentration of carbon dioxide rising to 423.9 ppm (parts per million), an increase of 3.5 ppm from 2023, the largest increase since the establishment of modern observation systems in 1957; The concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide reached 1942 ppb (parts per billion) and 338 ppb, respectively. This increase is related to factors such as the increase in global fossil energy emissions, the weakening of ecosystem carbon sequestration capacity under extreme heat conditions, and the frequent occurrence of wildfires that year.

The Bulletin shows that the annual average concentration of carbon dioxide at the Waliguan station will reach 424.9 ppm in 2024, an increase of 3.5 ppm compared to 2023, which is consistent with the global growth rate; The concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide are 2003ppb and 338.4ppb, respectively, slightly higher than the global average.

Zeng Qin introduced that the China Meteorological Administration has been laying out a greenhouse gas monitoring network since the 1990s. Currently, a national observation network consisting of the Wariguan WMO global background station, 7 regional background stations, 11 trial operation stations, and more than 120 monitoring stations has been established, and its data quality has been internationally recognized. Among them, the monitoring results of the Waliguan National Atmospheric Background Station are directly applied to the Global Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.

Zeng Qin stated that the China Meteorological Administration will further optimize the layout of greenhouse gas observation stations, strengthen high-precision monitoring and dynamic analysis of atmospheric greenhouse gases, enhance the ability to account for carbon dioxide balance, deepen research on the impact and feedback of greenhouse gases on weather and climate, and actively provide strong technological support for China's response to climate change.