Strong GDP growth, weak monsoon drove up India's energy-related carbon emissions in 2023: IEA
Strong GDP growth and a weak monsoon drove up India's energy-related carbon emissions by around 190 million tonnes in 2023, though the country's per capita emissions remain far below the global average, the International Energy Agency said. Global energy-related carbon emissions grew by 1.1 per cent in 2023, increasing 410 million tonnes (Mt) to reach a new record high of 37.4 gigatonnes (Gt) in 2023, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday.
It said emissions in China grew around 565 Mt in 2023, the largest increase globally and a continuation of its emissions-intensive economic growth in the post-pandemic period. Per capita emissions in China are now 15 per cent higher than in advanced economies.
However, China continued to dominate global clean energy additions.
«In India, strong GDP growth drove up emissions by around 190 Mt. But a weak monsoon increased demand for electricity and cut hydro production, contributing around one-quarter of the increase in its total emissions in 2023. Per capita emissions in India remain far below the world average,» the IEA said.
India grappled with warm and dry conditions throughout 2023 and experienced a weak monsoon season, with August being the driest in at least 45 years.
In 2022, energy-related global emissions increased by 490 Mt, representing a 1.3 per cent rise.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), countries together need to cut down emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane by 43 per
