Atmospheric observations in China show rise in emissions of a potent greenhouse gas

MIT News  March 28, 2024
An international team of researchers (USA – MIT, NOAA, UC San Diego, China, UK, Australia) used long-term atmospheric observations to determine SF6 emissions from China between 2011 and 2021 to evaluate the Chinese national SF6 emission inventory and to better understand the global SF6 budget. SF6 emissions in China substantially increased in 2021. The increase was larger than the global total emissions rise. Emissions in the less-populated western regions of China contributed significantly to the national SF6 emissions. The CO2-eq emissions of SF6 in China in 2021 were 125 million tonnes, comparable to the national total CO2 emissions of several countries such as the Netherlands or Nigeria. The increasing SF6 emissions offset some of the CO2 reductions achieved through transitioning to renewable energy in the power industry, and might hinder progress towards achieving China’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2060 if no concrete control measures are implemented… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE 

Emissions of SF6 in China. Credit: Nature Communications volume 15, Article number: 1997 (2024)