China's Clean Tech Exports Avoided 374 Million Tonnes of CO2 in 2025, Study Finds

A new analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air finds that Chinese exports of solar panels, batteries, EVs, and wind turbines avoided 374 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2025, more than the UK's annual emissions. The study highlights that South Asia, especially Pakistan, drove nearly a third of these avoided emissions through rapid solar adoption. Over their lifetime, these exports are expected to avoid 6,900 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent to about twice India's yearly emissions. China's role as both the largest emitter and leading clean tech producer is reshaping global decarbonization economics, particularly in emerging markets. The report notes that clean tech exports were worth $194 billion last year, with shipments already at $128 billion by mid-2026. While the avoided emissions are significant, they remain small compared to global emissions of 39 billion tonnes in 2024. The analysis underscores how falling costs and fossil fuel price shocks have accelerated adoption of Chinese clean tech, but it also raises questions about the embedded emissions of manufacturing and whether export growth can be sustained without compromising domestic decarbonization efforts.