Global power sector emissions showed rare stability in 2025 as sharp gains in clean energy across Asia began to outweigh rising coal use elsewhere.
New data, as reported by Reuters, suggest that China and India, the world’s largest coal consumers, both recorded declines in electricity-related emissions in the same year for the first time in more than five decades.
The shift helped neutralise a jump in US power emissions, keeping overall pollution from electricity generation largely flat despite rising global demand.
Researchers say the turning point reflects the pace at which renewables are being added in the two Asian economies, altering long-term emissions trends that have dominated the past decade.
Clean energy shifts in Asia
According to a report published this month by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, states Reuters, power sector emissions in China and India fell simultaneously in 2025, a first in 52 years.
The two countries had accounted for 93% of the growth in global carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation in the decade through 2024.
China’s power sector emissions dropped by 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, or 0.7%, over the year.
In India, emissions from utilities declined by 38 million tonnes, or 4.1%, in the 11 months to the end of November.
The estimates were compiled by energy think tank Ember using monthly government data.
The reductions came after both countries added record volumes of new clean power capacity last year.
Experts say those additions were sufficient to meet rising electricity demand without further increases in coal-fired output, marking a break from previous years when demand growth translated directly into higher emissions.
Global emissions held in check
The declines in China and India offset a sharp rise in US power emissions during 2025.
US utilities recorded an increase of 55.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the year after coal-fired power output jumped 13.1%.
That pushed power plant emissions up 3.3%, the fastest annual rise this century.
Despite the US increase, global power sector emissions remained broadly stable. China, India, and the US together account for around 60% of emissions from electricity generation, which itself represents roughly 35% of total greenhouse gas pollution linked to climate change.
Over the decade to 2024, power plant emissions rose by an average of 3.4% a year in China and 4.4% in India, while falling 2.4% annually in the US.
The 2025 data suggests those long-standing trends are starting to diverge.
Coal trends by country
Longer-term expectations for coal use vary widely across major economies.
The International Energy Agency said in December that coal consumption in China is set to decline gradually over the current decade.
That shift is expected to help emissions from power generation plateau as renewables and other low-carbon sources continue to expand.
India’s trajectory looks different. While record renewable additions and modest electricity demand growth helped limit coal use in 2025, the IEA expects coal to remain central to India’s power mix.
Even with a decline in coal-fired generation this year, the agency anticipates a moderate increase in coal consumption driven by steadily rising electricity demand.
In the US, the IEA forecasts coal demand to fall by 6% through 2030 as higher costs weigh on consumption.
This is expected despite policy incentives from President Donald Trump’s administration and a slowdown in coal plant closures.
What it means for climate targets
The simultaneous fall in power emissions in China and India highlights how rapidly expanding clean energy can change global emissions patterns.
While coal still plays a significant role in all three major power markets, the data suggests that renewables’ growth in Asia is beginning to cap global pollution from electricity generation, even as coal use fluctuates elsewhere.
Researchers say sustained investment in clean power will be key to determining whether 2025 marks a temporary pause or a longer-term shift in emissions linked to climate change.
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