Despite climate commitments and transition initiatives made by several G20 nations, per capita coal emissions are still rising, according to new study released on Tuesday.
80 percent of the emissions from the power sector worldwide are accounted for by the organization, whose leaders will gather this weekend in New Delhi.
The peaking of global emissions by 2025 and a significant increase in the use of renewable energy, however, were not agreed upon during the July talks.
According to research released on Tuesday by Ember, an energy thinktank that promotes renewable energy, between 2015 and 2022, per-capita G20 coal emissions increased by 9%.
Twelve G20 members—including the United States, Germany, and Britain—were able to drastically lower their per-person emissions.
However, some nations saw an increase in their emissions, notably the G20 host nation India, Indonesia, and China.
Indonesia saw its per capita emissions from the fuel increase by 56% from 2015 despite receiving $20 billion in pledges from wealthy nations to wean itself off coal.
According to the research, even some nations that succeeded in reducing their emissions continue to emit much more per person than the world average.
“China and India are often blamed as the world’s big coal power polluters,” said Dave Jones, Ember’s global insights lead.
“But when you take population into account, South Korea and Australia were the worst polluters still in 2022.”
The increases happen despite repeated reminders that significant reductions in fossil fuel emissions are required to keep the world habitable.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the number of coal-fired power stations must decrease by 70 to 90 percent within eight years without the use of carbon capture technologies.
However, Ember pointed out that several G20 members have yet to present thorough coal drawdown strategy.
“Growing wind and solar are helping to reduce coal power emissions per capita in many countries, but it’s not enough yet to keep pace with rising electricity demand in most emerging countries,” the report warned.
The group called on G20 members to agree this weekend on tripling renewables by 2030 and to offer clear policies on coal power phaseout.
