India and China Cut Power Emissions as Clean Energy Surge Offsets Rising U.S. Coal Use

BY COMFORT OGBONNA

India and China have reduced emissions from electricity generation by rapidly expanding clean energy capacity, helping to offset increased coal use in the United States and keeping global growth in climate-warming pollution largely in check, researchers said.

According to a report published this month by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), emissions from the power sectors of China and India declined at the same time for the first time in more than five decades. The two countries are the world’s largest coal consumers and together accounted for 93% of the increase in global carbon dioxide emissions from power generation in the decade through 2024, making the shift particularly significant.

“The fall in emissions in China and India in 2025 is a sign of things to come,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at CREA. He noted that both countries added record amounts of new clean power generation capacity last year, which was more than enough to meet rising electricity demand and reduce reliance on fossil fuels despite continued economic growth.

China’s power sector emissions fell by about 40 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, a decline of roughly 0.7% from the previous year, according to estimates from energy think tank Ember based on official monthly data. In India, power sector emissions dropped by around 38 million metric tons, or 4.1%, during the first 11 months of the year through November, reflecting the combined impact of strong renewable energy additions and more moderate growth in electricity demand.

These reductions helped counter a sharp rise in U.S. power sector emissions, which increased by an estimated 55.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025. U.S. emissions climbed after coal-fired power output surged by 13.1% during the year, pushing power plant emissions up 3.3%, the fastest annual increase this century. As a result, global power sector emissions remained broadly flat rather than continuing their upward trajectory.

Over the decade leading up to 2024, power plant emissions rose by an average of 3.4% per year in China and 4.4% in India, while declining by 2.4% in the United States. Together, China, India and the U.S. account for about 60% of global power sector emissions, which themselves represent roughly 35% of total emissions linked to climate change.

Looking ahead, analysts expect divergent paths for coal use across the three major economies. China’s coal consumption is projected to gradually decline over the course of this decade, according to the International Energy Agency, helping emissions from electricity generation level off in the coming years as renewable and low-carbon power sources continue to expand.

In India, the outlook is more mixed. While record renewable energy installations and relatively modest growth in electricity demand helped limit coal use this year, the IEA expects coal to remain a central part of the country’s energy mix. Even if coal-fired power generation dips in the near term, the agency said a moderate increase in coal consumption is still likely over time due to steadily rising electricity demand driven by economic growth and expanding access.

In the United States, the IEA expects coal demand to fall by about 6% through 2030 as higher costs and market pressures weigh on the fuel, despite policy incentives from President Donald Trump’s administration and a slowdown in coal plant retirements. The contrasting trends underline how shifts in energy policy, technology deployment and demand growth across major economies are shaping the global emissions outlook, with recent progress in Asia playing a critical role in preventing further increases in power-sector pollution.