Chinese ETS faces data issues

Data quality and integrity must improve if world’s largest emissions trading system is to be effective in helping China achieve carbon targets, speakers tell event in Shanghai

China’s emissions trading system (ETS) has a problem with data quality and integrity that must be resolved if it is to contribute meaningfully to Beijing’s ambitious climate targets, speakers told the recent China Carbon Trading and Carbon Management Summit in Shanghai. China—which accounted for one-third of global CO₂ emissions last year—launched its long-awaited ETS in July 2021 after repeated delays. Cumulative trading had reached 179mn t by the end of December, with an aggregate transaction value of RMB8.1bn ($1.27bn). The system covers only the thermal power generation sector, but as this accounts for 40pc of the country’s carbon emissions it means China’s ETS is already the biggest in