Abstract: Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is a potent greenhouse gas. Here we use long-term atmospheric observations to determine SF₆ emissions from China between 2011 and 2021, which are used to evaluate the Chinese national SF₆ emission inventory and to better understand the global SF₆ budget. SF₆ emissions in China substantially increased from 2.6 (2.3-2.7, 68% uncertainty) Gg yr⁻¹ in 2011 to 5.1 (4.8-5.4) Gg yr⁻¹ in 2021.

The increase from China is larger than the global total emissions rise, implying that it has offset falling emissions from other countries. Emissions in the less-populated western regions of China, which have potentially not been well quantified in previous measurement-based estimates, contribute significantly to the national SF₆ emissions, likely due to substantial power generation and transmission in that area. The CO₂-eq emissions of SF₆ in China in 2021 were 125 (117-132) million tonnes (Mt), comparable to the national total CO₂ emissions of several countries such as the Netherlands or Nigeria.

The increasing SF₆ emissions offset some of the CO₂ reductions achieved through transitioning to renewable energy in the power industry, and might hinder progress towards achieving China’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2060 if no concrete control measures are implemented.