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India sees alarming 29% rise in per capita coal emissions, amidst global transition to clean energy: Report

Both India and China have been grappling with rapid electricity demand growth, outpacing the expansion of renewable energy sources in recent years. This surge has led to an increase in coal-fired generation, contributing to the rise in per capita coal emissions.

New Delhi: India has witnessed a significant surge of 29% in per capita coal emissions over the last seven years, according to a report released by the global energy think tank 'Ember.' The annual report, titled 'Changes in per capita coal power emissions of G20 countries,' sheds light on the challenges and progress of various countries in transitioning to cleaner sources of electricity.

Both India and China, often criticized as major coal power polluters, have been grappling with rapid electricity demand growth, outpacing the expansion of renewable energy sources in recent years. This surge in demand has led to an increase in coal-fired generation, contributing to the rise in per capita coal emissions.

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The report also said that, among the G20 economies, 12 out of 20 countries managed to reduce their per capita coal emissions since 2015. However, it highlighted a concerning trend as the G20's overall per capita coal emissions increased by approximately 9% from 1.5 tonne of carbon dioxide in 2015 to 1.6 tonne of carbon dioxide in 2022.

Dave Jones, Global Insights Lead at Ember, commented on the findings, stating, "China and India are often blamed as the world’s big coal power polluters. But when you take population into account, South Korea and Australia were the worst polluters still in 2022. As mature economies, they should be scaling up renewable electricity ambitiously and confidently enough to enable coal to be phased out by 2030."

Australia and South Korea, despite reducing their per capita coal emissions by 26% and 10%, respectively, since 2015, still lead in coal pollution by more than three times the world average due to their higher starting points.

Two G20 countries, Indonesia and Turkey, saw notable increases in per capita coal power emissions over the last seven years, although they remain below the world average. Indonesia experienced the highest percentage rise among the G20, with per capita coal power emissions surging by 56% from 2015 to 2022, while Turkey saw a significant increase of 41% in emissions per capita.

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In China, per capita coal power emissions rose by 30%, trailing only behind Australia and South Korea. This increase was attributed to rapidly growing demand outpacing the growth in clean energy generation. Despite the addition of 670 GW of renewables since 2015, China's per capita coal emissions increased by about 4% annually on average during the same period.

Russia's per capita emissions also grew by 20% since 2015, while Japan saw a relatively modest increase of 2% in per capita coal power emissions.

The report suggested that the rise in emissions per capita can be attributed to the ongoing use of coal to meet the increased demand as pandemic restrictions ease, as well as extreme weather events in summer and winter, which drove up coal generation.

The G20 represents approximately 80% of global power sector carbon dioxide emissions, making it a crucial player in global efforts to accelerate the transition to clean energy. India is set to host the G20 Leaders' Summit on September 9 and 10 in Delhi this year.

Aditya Lolla, Asia Programme Lead at Ember, emphasized India's unique opportunity as the host of the G20 summit, stating, "India, as the host of the G20 summit, has the opportunity to assume climate leadership in the G20 and hold the bloc accountable. India's plans to ramp up renewable energy seem to align well with the COP28 president's call for tripling renewables by 2030. India's early backing to this call can not only influence the G20 into action but also ensure that developed countries bring their per capita emissions down."