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Changes in CO₂ emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic have been estimated from indicators on activities like transportation and electricity generation. Here, we instead use satellite observations together with bottom-up information to track the daily dynamics of CO₂ emissions during the pandemic. Unlike activity data, our observation-based analysis deploys independent measurement of pollutant concentrations in the atmosphere to correct misrepresentation in the bottom-up data and can provide more detailed insights into spatially explicit changes. Specifically, we use TROPOMI observations of NO₂ to deduce 10-day moving averages of NO_x and CO₂ emissions over China, differentiating emissions by sector and province. Between January and April 2020, China’s CO₂ emissions fell by 11.5% compared to the same period in 2019, but emissions have since rebounded to pre-pandemic levels before the …