China's emissions of carbon dioxide dropped in the second quarter of the year as a result of the decline in oil use due to disruptions in the shipping from the Middle East, analysis showed Thursday.
Emissions from the gigantic East Asian economy have fallen before, but the April-June period was the first time such a drop was driven by lower oil consumption, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) analysis published by Carbon Brief.
CO2 emissions were down 1% in the second quarter, it said, with oil use falling 9% overall and 16% for transport, based on assessments of Chinese government data.
The situation "has very clearly validated China's energy security strategy and especially the role of electrification as a part of that strategy," CREA co-founder and lead analyst Lauri Myllyvyrta told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Severe disruption to traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz has heavily impacted shipments of oil to China, the world's second-largest economy and the top importer of crude.
