China ousts US as leading producer of carbon dioxide emissions

Amsterdam, Netherlands - China's 2006 CO₂ emissions surpassed those of the USA by 8 percent, according to new data from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. This includesCO₂ emissions from cement production.

With this, China tops the list of CO₂ emitting countries for the first time. In 2005, CO₂ emissions from China were still 2 percent below those of the US.

These figures are based on a preliminary estimate by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP), using recently published BP (British Petroleum) energy data and cement production data.

Of all industrial processes, cement clinker production is the largest source of CO₂. It contributes around 4 percent to the total of CO₂ emissions from fuel use and industrial activities, globally. China has a large share in global cement production (about 44 percent in 2006) and nationally their share in CO₂ emissions is almost 9 percent (550 megatonne out of a total of about 6200 megatonne of CO₂).

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Press releasefrom Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency