China's Clean Tech Exports to Avert 24% of Global CO2 Emissions

China's clean technology exports this year are projected to avert roughly 8,400 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over their lifetime — about 24% of annual global emissions, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. That figure exceeds the combined annual emissions of the United States and India.

The Finland-based CREA released the analysis on Thursday. It found that once installed and deployed, the 2026 export cohort alone will likely cut emissions by about 450 million metric tons of CO2 per year — roughly equal to Brazil's annual output.

"This is a pivot point for the outlook of global energy and global emissions," said Lauri Myllyvirta of CREA. "We're seeing growth in clean energy that is much, much faster than anyone predicted just a few years ago."

Why are exports surging now?

The Iran war and the energy crisis it triggered have driven surging demand for renewables across import-dependent Asia. Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — normally the source of a fifth of the world's oil and gas — hit Asian countries first and hardest.

China is the world's largest supplier of renewable energy equipment: solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and batteries. Most of its output sells domestically, but a sizeable share goes abroad. CREA tracked the following export growth for the first nine months of 2026, compared with the same period last year:

• Electric vehicles: up 61%
• Wind turbines: up 45%
• Batteries: up 39%
• Solar equipment: up 22%

The value of China's electric vehicle exports reached $72.8 billion in the first nine months of this year, up from $39.7 billion a year earlier, according to the research firm Atlas Public Policy.

Even President Donald Trump's higher tariffs did not stop the flow. Chinese clean tech exports to the U.S. rose 13% in January-September compared with a year earlier.

"The demand is much stronger than I expected," Myllyvirta said. "That's certainly noteworthy."

How solid is the emissions math?

CREA built its estimate from export data, the electricity systems in destination countries and Chinese emissions generated during manufacturing. Independent experts said the estimate matched the scale of China's exports but were unable to validate the data.

China cuts both ways in the global carbon ledger. It is the world's biggest provider of clean tech equipment and, at the same time, the largest source of global carbon emissions. Muyi Yang, a senior policy analyst at Ember, likened China's energy transition to replacing the engine of a ship while it is still at sea.

What does Southeast Asia signal?

Southeast Asia became a major destination. China's clean energy exports to the region jumped nearly 160% from last year to this September, according to Ember, an independent global energy think tank.

The Philippines implemented incentives similar to those of Laos, Thailand and Vietnam — which subsidize solar installation and electric vehicle purchases — and became the second-largest destination for Chinese solar exports in the first quarter of 2026. Indonesia has pledged to install 100 gigawatts of solar power by 2029.

Consumers across the region are paying more for electricity and fuel and opting for alternatives such as rooftop solar. That shift will likely outlast the war, said Yu Sun Chin of the research group Zero Carbon Analytics.

"The surge in clean energy policies in Southeast Asia shows there is a paradigm shift happening," Chin said. "Considering Southeast Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate impacts, every emission cut matters in limiting a rise in global temperatures."

The report lands weeks before Turkey hosts the annual U.N. climate talks in November, where electrification is expected to be a leading topic.