A new analysis by the global energy think tank 'Ember' has revealed that India experienced a 29% increase in per capita coal emissions in 2022 compared to 2015. This surge comes as G20 per capita coal emissions increased by approximately 9% during the same period, rising from 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2015 to 1.6 tonnes in 2022.

Ember's annual report, titled 'Changes in per capita coal power emissions of G20 countries,' also highlighted that 12 out of the 20 G20 economies witnessed a decline in per capita coal emissions since 2015.

Dave Jones, Global Insights Lead at Ember, noted that while China and India are often criticized as major coal power polluters, South Korea and Australia had the highest per capita coal emissions in 2022 when population is considered. Jones emphasized that mature economies like South Korea and Australia should be aggressively scaling up renewable energy to phase out coal by 2030.

Australia and South Korea reduced their per capita coal emissions by 26% and 10% since 2015, respectively. However, due to their initial high emissions, they still exceeded the world average by more than three times.

In China, per capita coal power emissions increased by 30%, ranking third behind Australia and South Korea. This increase was primarily driven by surging demand, outpacing the growth in clean energy generation. Despite adding 670 GW of renewables during the same period, China's per capita coal emissions grew by about 4% annually on average since 2015.

The G20 countries represent around 80% of global power sector carbon dioxide emissions, and their actions are crucial for accelerating the global transition to clean energy. India is set to host the G20 Leaders' Summit in September 2023. The report suggested that India could play a leadership role in pushing the G20 to agree on fossil fuel phase-outs and significantly increase renewable energy targets, ultimately influencing developed countries to lower their per capita emissions.