For a quarter century, China has been the dominant driver of rising global carbon emissions. Its rapid industrialization, swelling electricity demand, and unprecedented construction boom have shaped the world’s carbon trajectory more than any other country. But the latest data show something atypical on China’s relentless climb higher: a pause. New analysis from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) shows that China’s CO? emissions were essentially flat in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the year before.…