Chinese cities are among the big emitters responsible for more than half the carbon produced by 167 urban centers worldwide, an analysis of emission trends has found, reported the South China Morning Post.
Just 25 cities – including Handan, Shanghai and Suzhou in China, along with Tokyo, Moscow and Istanbul – accounted for 52% of total emissions from the sample across 53 countries, according to researchers from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou.
Wealthier countries produced more greenhouse gases per person than developing nations, though Asian cities were the biggest emitters as a whole, the scientists said in a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Cities on Monday.
“Though China is still a developing country, several Chinese cities – such as Yinchuan, Urumqi and Dalian – had the per capita [greenhouse gas] emissions approaching those of developed countries, which is partially attributed to their rapid urbanization, industrialization, and relatively high reliance on coal energy,” the researchers said.