(Yicai Global) July 26 -- China has successfully reduced its net carbon emissions in the past decade, according to a study based on satellite imaging done by a state-backed institute.

China’s land ecosystems have captured 1.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide annually in the past 10 years, or around 10 percent of the global total, CCTV News reported today, citing a report by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China has achieved a remarkable reduction in CO2 emissions due to its large-scale efforts in afforestation and ecological conservation. These measures have greatly improved ecosystems' ability to absorb carbon, according to Wu Yirong, president of the institute.

Global efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions have been inadequate in the past decade, leading to a steady increase in atmospheric CO2 levels by around 0.6 percent each year. Moreover, the rapid deforestation that has been taking place in the past 40 years continues.

China plans to launch a next-generation carbon satellite in 2025 to measure global CO2 levels with greater accuracy and efficiency. This will provide scientific support for China’s goals of peaking its emissions by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060, according to Wu.

Editor: Emmi Laine