India used more coal power in 2021 than in 2020 which could delay its Climate goals-IEA 

What is the news?

According to a recent analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA) India’s coal based electricity generation has increased in 2021 than the previous year. This is going to increase further in future and will lead delay India’s efforts to reach its climate goals. 

Findings of the report

India’s carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in 2021 reached 80 megatonnes (Mt) above pre-pandemic levels in 2019. This could be due to a slowdown in the renewable energy sector.  

Commodity prices are on a high. This has increased the cost of producing solar photovoltaic modules, wind turbines and biofuels. 

Is the global pattern also same as that observed in India? 

Developing countries: China’s CO₂ emissions increased 750 Mt between 2019 and 2021. 

The United States and many European countries switched to coal from gas, adding roughly 250 Mt of CO₂ in 2021. However, advanced countries kept their CO₂ emissions under check even as their battered economies returned to the pre-pandemic state. 

Why is the trend different in advanced economies? 

Across advanced economies overall, structural changes such as increased uptake of renewables, electrification and energy efficiency improvements avoided an additional 100 Mt of CO₂ emissions in 2021. 

Although per capita emissions of advanced countries were higher. 

Source: This post is based on the article “India used more coal power in 2021 than in 2020 which could delay its Climate goals-IEA” published in Down to Earth on 12th Mar 22.