China’s carbon dioxide emissions fell in the third quarter of the year at the fastest rate since the Covid-19 pandemic, a think tank has said, attributing the drop to impacts from the Middle East war, AFP reports.

The massive Asian economy’s emissions fell by 3.1 per cent between July and September, according to analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) published by Carbon Brief.

Overall oil use fell by 4pc year-on-year while transport oil consumption decreased by 9pc, the CREA report said, citing official figures and commercial data.

“It’s clear there is going to be some kind of a rebound in oil consumption once, or if, prices come down,” CREA co-founder and lead analyst Lauri Myllyvirta told AFP.