Foreign firms created 25% of emissions from all companies in China over 20 years: study
Advertisement
It also found that foreign companies produced more than half of their total carbon emissions in China's less-developed inland areas in the 15 years up to 2012. Yet these regions were not seeing as much economic benefit from
foreign investment as the coastal areas.
'The eastern coastal region gained more economic benefits, while the central and western inland regions bore heavier environmental pressures,' the lead institute of the study, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, said in a statement.
'This raises new issues for scientific assessments of carbon emission responsibilities for foreign-owned enterprises,' it added.
The study was conducted by researchers from the academy, as well as Nanjing University, University College London and the University of Birmingham. They published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications last month.
The researchers urged inland regions to introduce more favourable policies to lure foreign investors. Photo: Corbis via Getty Images
'MNEs [multinational enterprises] represent a non-negligible yet frequently overlooked factor in shaping carbon inequality,' the researchers said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
39 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Recurrent profits for Hong Kong's MTR Corp drop 15.7% in ‘eventful' first half
Hong Kong rail giant the MTR Corporation has reported a 15.7 per cent drop in recurrent-business profit to HK$3.39 billion in the first six months of this year from the same period in 2024 due to higher operating costs. After taking into consideration property gains and losses from a one-off revaluation of investment properties, the group said on Thursday that its net profit jumped 27.5 per cent to HK$7.7 billion during the first half of 2025. MTR Corp CEO Jacob Kam Chak-pui said that business over the period had been 'eventful'. 'The first six months of 2025 proved to be an eventful time that saw the MTR take meaningful steps forward in its expanding capital works programme, while rising patronage figures drove solid results for the company's operating revenue,' he said. Kam added that the company was in the 'harvesting stage' of its earlier property development projects. It recorded a property development profit of HK$5.54 billion in the first six months of this year compared with HK$1.74 billion in the same period in 2024, mainly from two packages near Ho Man Tin station and another two at The Southside mall near Wong Chuk Hang station.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China and Australia ready for ‘more productive' relationship, Beijing's ambassador says
China and Australia are ready to 'move beyond' stabilising relations and aim for 'more productive' economic cooperation, according to Beijing's ambassador Xiao Qian. There could be a 'closer alignment' between the Australian mining and Chinese manufacturing sectors through 'joint exploration, technology sharing and capacity enhancement', Xiao told a trade expo on Thursday. He said both countries had 'highly compatible' development strategies and 'can fully complement each other's strengths, collaborate in a coordinated manner and jointly build green, secure and sustainable' industrial chains. Earlier this week, the Australian mining giant Fortescue announced it had secured an offshore yuan-denominated loan worth 14.2 billion yuan (US$1.98 billion) from a syndicate led by Bank of China to support its decarbonisation plans. China has been Australia's largest trading partner, export market and source of imports for the past 16 years. However, after ties soured in 2019 and 2020, Australian goods were hit by a series of export curbs that Beijing only lifted at the end of last year.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Insta360's Antigravity unveils 8K full-degree drone, challenging DJI
Antigravity, a drone brand incubated by China's leading full-degree camera manufacturer Insta360, on Thursday unveiled its first product – the Antigravity A1 featuring a built-in 8K 360-degree camera and pilot goggles. Advertisement The machine is equipped with a dual-lens camera system mounted on both the top and bottom of its fuselage – a design that mirrors the capabilities of Insta360's popular X series action cameras, providing complete environmental capture without any blind spots, according to Antigravity. Included with the drone is a pair of goggles and a hand controller, enabling pilots to fly the craft using a drone's-eye view. Similar to Insta360's cameras, the A1 is said to be able to record all angles, allowing footage to be replayed in 360 degrees. Weighing 249 grams, the A1 'meets regulatory requirements in most countries and regions' and is set to hit global markets in January, according to the company. The Antigravity A1 comes with a pair of pilot goggles. Photo: Handout The announcement follows Antigravity's launch last month. The drone maker said it was incubated by Shenzhen-based Insta360 in collaboration with third parties and developed by 'a global team of engineers, designers and creators'.
