Fact Check: Michael Bloomberg Claims China’s Carbon Emissions Are ‘Slowing Down’

Claim: Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg claimed that China’s carbon emissions have “slowed down.”

Verdict: False. China’s carbon emissions have steadily increased, according to climateactiontracker.org, and are projected to keep rising. China is also rapidly building coal power plants, signaling that the country has no intention of ending its status as the number one producer of carbon emissions.

During the ninth Democrat presidential debate on NBC on Wednesday, moderator Lester Holt asked what the candidates would do to stop China, which he said was the number one producer of carbon emissions.

Bloomberg said, “In all fairness, the Chinese have slowed down. It’s India that is an even bigger problem.”

However, a new study shows that the coronavirus epidemic has cut China’s carbon emissions by 100 million metric tons. Bloomberg did not mention the epidemic when making this claim.

Bloomberg argued that the United States should convince China to cut its emissions rather than trying to use tariffs to fight the country.

“What you have to do is convince the Chinese that it is in their interest as well. Their people are going to die just as our people are going to die, and we’ll work together,” he said.