Horses graze near wind turbines on the grassland in Ulanqab, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Photo: VCG

China's coal-fired power generation reportedly accounted for 49.7 percent of total electricity output in the first half of 2026, dropping below 50 percent for the first time.

The China Enterprise Reform and Development Society (CERDS) published the Global Energy Transition Report (2026) on Sunday, revealing that global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose 0.4 percent year-on-year in 2025 to 38.4 billion tons, the slowest increase since 2021.

China's total carbon emissions fell 0.5 percent, while the US emissions grew by 2.4 percent, making it the largest contributor to global emissions growth, according to CCTV News.

The latest figures, along with separate findings by other global research institutions, underscore the accelerating pace of China's green and low-carbon energy transition, as the country continues to expand its renewable energy capacity while reducing its reliance on coal, a Chinese analyst said.

The CERDS report said that the global energy transition in 2026 has been characterized by "pressures, widening divergence and pragmatic adjustments." Geopolitical conflicts, climate risks and surging electricity demand from artificial intelligence (AI) are intensifying the tension between short-term energy security and long-term decarbonization goals. China's energy transition has demonstrated strong momentum and resilience, it noted.

In 2025, global installed renewable capacity rose 15.5 percent year-on-year to 5,149 gigawatts, CCTV News reported. Renewable power generation accounted for 33.8 percent of the global total, surpassing coal-fired power's 33.0 percent for the first time in a century.

Sun Chuanwang, a professor at the School of Economics at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Sunday that with continued institutional support from long-term decarbonization road maps and energy-saving upgrades in key sectors, as well as a full-spectrum manufacturing chain and efficiency gains that have kept lowering the costs of renewables, China's coal use will fall this year, contributing to the global decarbonization effort.

Compared with some corners of the world, where coal use is picking up, China's supply chain advantage has made clean power more competitive and driven large-scale substitution. China's high coal self-sufficiency and resilient supply system provide autonomy in the transition, avoiding the gas-crisis driven coal rebound seen in parts of Europe, Sun said.

Global energy investment is projected to reach $3.4 trillion in 2026, up 5 percent year-on-year, with about $2.2 trillion directed toward grids, storage, low-emission fuels, nuclear, renewables, energy efficiency and electrification. China's energy investment is expected to stand at $940 billion, maintaining its position as the world's largest energy investor.

China has pledged to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

The report came amid other findings by global institutions on China's decarbonization process.

China's carbon dioxide emissions from energy and industry fell 3.1 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026, the biggest quarterly drop since the pandemic, according to an analysis released on Friday by the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Reuters reported on the same day.

Coal use fell by 3.3 percent as wind and solar wastage improved, and power demand fell due to mild weather.

"The sharp decline in ⁠China's carbon dioxide emissions extends a 'flat or falling' trend that began in March 2024 and has now lasted more than two years," the report said, referring to the rolling 12-month total of China's emissions, which is used to ⁠smooth out seasonal factors.

China's emissions fell by 0.5 percent in ⁠the first three quarters of the year, the CREA analysis found, indicating that the trend of falling fossil fuel use and emissions could hold for the full year.

China's achievements in clean-energy technologies are impressive and have accelerated the global energy transition, said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The global energy crisis is reshaping energy markets, prompting the adoption of renewable energy and electric vehicles as countries seek to reduce their dependence on traditional energy sources, said Birol.