A shift towards car use and a rise in miles travelled by car has increased energy use and CO2 emissions in China, according to a World Bank study.

Carbon emissions from these trends have outpaced the reductions achieved by vehicle efficiency and fuel performance improvements in recent years in China.

The report, entitled Urban Transport and CO2 Emissions: Some Evidence from Chinese Cities gave a preliminary analysis of urban transport characteristics, energy use and CO2 emissions in China.

Estimates made by the study were based on data taken from 17 Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, between 1993 and 2006.