China to cut greenhouse gas emissions sooner than expected

International climate watchers expect the country's greenhouse gas emissions to peak several years earlier than expected, possibly as early as this year, Azernews reports.

Last year, China installed 217 GW (gigawatts) of solar power plants, 2.5 times the amount it will install in 2022. That's more than 500 million solar panels, far exceeding the total installed solar capacity in the US.

Added wind power capacity totaled 76 GW (more than 20,000 new turbines nationwide). This is more than the rest of the world combined.

The Chinese government promised that emissions would peak by 2030 and reach zero by 2060. By the end of this decade, China was supposed to have 1,200 GW of total solar and wind power capacity.

The country is six years ahead of schedule, with the PRC reaching 1.05 thousand GW by the end of 2023. However, some analysts expect the peak to be followed by an emissions plateau in subsequent years, rather than a sharp decline.