People watch gulls from an embankment in front of offshore windmills in Binhai New Area of Tianjin. JIA JIYE/FOR CHINA DAILY

Editor's note: As protection of the planet's flora, fauna and resources becomes increasingly important, China Daily is publishing a series of stories to illustrate the country's commitment to safeguarding the natural world.

Since the launch of the national green electricity trading market in 2021, Tianjin, a port city in northern China, has seen its trade in renewable energy skyrocket from 12 million kilowatt-hours in 2021 to 17.3 billion kWh for this year. The remarkable growth has led to a dramatic cut in carbon dioxide emissions as well as toxic and harmful substances such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.

State Grid Tianjin Electric Power Co, a subsidiary of national electricity provider State Grid, estimates the reduction is the equivalent of the amount of CO2 absorbed by 767 million trees for a whole year.

The national green electricity trading market facilitates transactions for both physical green electricity and related green electricity certificates so that large-scale users, such as manufacturers and data centers, can purchase their energy and ensure that it comes from a renewable source.