Beijing, March 14 (BNA): China’s environment ministry has criticized companies for falsifying carbon data, as part of the country’s efforts to improve data quality as it prepares to expand its national emissions trading scheme to more industrial sectors.
The findings released on Monday follow a campaign launched by the Ministry of Environment and Environment (MEE) in October and December last year aimed at ensuring the accuracy of carbon emissions verification reports submitted across the country, Reuters reported.
“Accurate and reliable data is the lifeblood of the efficient and standardized operation of the carbon emissions trading market,” Middle East Eye said in a statement on Monday.
China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, launched its repeatedly delayed National Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in July last year. But transparency and accuracy of emissions data remain a major concern for Beijing as well as market participants.
The ministry has commissioned four data verification companies — Zhongchuang Nengtou Co, SinoCarbon Innovation & Investment Co., Qingdao Xinuo Renewable Co, and Liaoning Dongmei Testing and Analysis Research Institute — to “manipulate and falsify test reports,” “make fake coal samples,” and “ Writing distorted and inaccurate conclusions.
Reuters was not immediately able to contact the four companies by phone.
MEE also said it will urge local environment offices to continue investigating the four companies and further strengthen oversight and management of the carbon data verification companies.
China’s ETS currently has about 2,000 companies in the energy sector, which emit roughly 4.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year, or 40% of the country’s total.
The government is considering reducing carbon emissions allocations to power utilities to avoid market overload, and is also expected to expand market coverage to include emitters from sectors such as the steel industry.
MI