India and China reduce electricity emissions to mitigate US coal overdrive

Researchers say that India and China have 'cut emissions by accelerating the deployment of clean energy,' offsetting the?growing? coal use in America and limiting global growth in pollutants related to climate change.

According to a CREA report published this month, power sector emissions in China and India, which accounted for 93% the increase in carbon dioxide discharges from the decade up until 2024, decreased simultaneously for the first 52 years.

"The drop in emissions in China in 2025 will be a sign for things to come. Both countries added record amounts of clean-power generation in the last year. This was more than enough to meet growing demand," said Lauri Myllyvirta.

CHINA AND INDIA POWER Emissions Fall According to estimates by energy think-tank Ember, compiled using monthly government statistics, China's power sector emission fell by 40 millions tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) or 0.7% per year in 2025. Discharges by Indian utilities decreased by 38 million tCO2e or 4.1% in the 11 month period ending in November.

Estimates showed that this offset a rise of 55.7 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2e), in U.S. annual emissions, after a 13.1% annual increase in coal-fired electricity output, drove U.S. plant emissions up 3.3% in 2025. This was the fastest in the century.

In the 10 years leading up to 2024, power plant emissions in China rose by 3.4% and in India by 4.4% annually. However, they fell by 2.4% in the U.S. Three countries are responsible for 60% of global power sector emissions. These emissions account for 35% of climate-related pollution.

COAL OUTLOOK

The International Energy Agency (IEA), in its annual coal report published in December, said that China's coal consumption is?set? to gradually decline this decade. This will help emissions from power production plateau in the next?years.

The IEA predicts that India will continue to rely on coal, despite the fact that record renewables additions in India and marginal growth of power demand this year helped?New Delhi reduce coal usage.

The IEA stated that "despite coal-fired electricity generation declining in 2025, a modest increase?in the coal consumption for power production is still expected... because of a steadily rising demand for electricity."

The agency predicts that higher costs will reduce coal demand in the U.S. by 6% by 2030, despite the policy incentives of President Donald Trump and the slowdown in coal plants closings. (Reporting and editing by Florence Tan, Kate Mayberry, and Sudarshan Varadhan)

(source: Reuters)