Analysis: China’s CO2 climbs 2% in early 2026 due to ‘wasted’ wind and solar

China’s CO2 emissions rose 2% in early 2026 due to increased coal and gas use amid a 23% year-on-year rise in wind-power capacity and 33% for solar. The surge in 'wasted' wind and solar output, caused by inflexible coal power management and grid systems, led to a 4% rise in power-sector emissions, despite record renewable energy additions.