Author: Sudarshan Varadhan
SINGAPORE, Jan 27 (Reuters) – India and China are reducing emissions from power generation by accelerating the deployment of clean energy, offsetting growth in U.S. coal use and limiting the growth of global pollutants linked to climate change, researchers said.
Power sector emissions in China and India, the world’s two largest coal consumers, accounted for 93% of the growth in carbon dioxide emissions in the decade to 2024, falling simultaneously for the first time in 52 years, according to a report released this month by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
“Falling emissions in China and India in 2025 are a sign of things to come, as both countries added record amounts of clean power last year to meet growing demand,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, chief analyst at CREA, an independent research organization registered in Finland.
Electricity emissions fall in China, India
China’s power sector emissions fell by 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), or 0.7% per year, in 2025, while emissions from Indian utilities fell by 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, or 4.1%, in the 11 months to the end of November, according to estimates compiled by energy think tank Ember based on monthly government statistics.
Estimates show that a 13.1% annual increase in coal-fired power generation production will cause U.S. power plant emissions to increase by 3.3% in 2025 (the fastest this century). This will offset the increase in annual U.S. emissions of 55.7 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) and help global emissions remain essentially flat.
In the 10 years to 2024, emissions from power plants in China will increase by an average of 3.4% annually, emissions from power plants in India will increase by an average of 4.4% per year, but emissions from power plants in the United States will decrease by 2.4%. These three countries account for 60% of global power sector emissions and about 35% of all pollution emissions related to climate change.
coal prospects
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its annual coal report in December that China’s coal use will gradually decline this decade, helping to reduce emissions from power generation in the coming years.
In India, however, while record renewable energy additions and marginal growth in electricity demand have helped New Delhi curb coal use this year, the IEA expects the country to remain dependent on coal.
“Although coal-fired power generation will decline in 2025, coal consumption for power generation is expected to increase modestly as electricity demand grows steadily,” the IEA said.
In the United States, the agency expects rising costs to reduce coal demand by 6% by 2030, despite policy incentives from President Donald Trump’s administration and a slowdown in coal plant closures.
(Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Florence Tan and Kate Mayberry)