After three unprecedented consecutive years of decline, early estimates have brought the bad news that China’s energy-related CO2 emissions appear to have risen in 2017. Very preliminary estimates for the months passed of 2018 suggest that this trend is continuing. Is it time to give up hope that CO2 emissions can be controlled? The answer to this question depends on understanding what has driven the rising emissions in 2017. This paper addresses this issue with respect to China, the world’s largest emitter.
