G20 Per Capita Coal Power Emissions 2023

Analysis of G20 coal power emissions reveals that while 12 of 20 economies saw per capita declines since 2015, Australia and South Korea remain the top polluters, each emitting more than triple the global average. In contrast, emerging economies like Indonesia, Türkiye, China, and India experienced increases in per capita emissions as electricity demand outpaced renewable growth. The G20's combined per capita emissions rose slightly from 1.5 to 1.6 tonnes of CO2 between 2015 and 2022, underscoring a slow overall transition despite individual national progress.

• Australia and South Korea have been the G20's top per capita coal polluters since 2020, with both countries emitting more than three times the global average of 1.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
• Between 2015 and 2022, 12 G20 economies experienced a decline in per capita coal emissions, with the UK seeing the most significant drop at 93%, followed by France (-63%), Italy (-50%), and Brazil (-42%).
• Six G20 countries saw per capita coal emissions increase from 2015 to 2022: Indonesia (up 56%), Türkiye (up 41%), China (up 30%), India (up 29%), Russia (up 20%), and Japan (up 2%).
• In China, the rise in per capita coal emissions was driven by electricity demand growing faster than the addition of 670 GW of renewables since 2015.
• Despite individual declines, the G20's collective per capita coal emissions increased by approximately 9%, rising from 1.5 tonnes of CO2 in 2015 to 1.6 tonnes in 2022.
• Seven G20 nations—Brazil, China, India, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, and the United States—have not yet published strategies for phasing down coal.

APA

Jones, D., Lolla, A., Lee, U., Fulghum, N., Ewen, M., Broadbent, H., & Bruce-Lockhart, C. (2023). G20 Per Capita Coal Power Emissions 2023. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/g20-per-capita-coal-power-emissions-2023

Chicago

Jones, Dave, Aditya Lolla, Uni Lee, Nicolas Fulghum, Matt Ewen, Hannah Broadbent, and Chelsea Bruce-Lockhart. G20 Per Capita Coal Power Emissions 2023. Ember, 2023. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/g20-per-capita-coal-power-emissions-2023.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jones |first1=Dave |last2=Lolla |first2=Aditya |last3=Lee |first3=Uni |last4=Fulghum |first4=Nicolas |last5=Ewen |first5=Matt |last6=Broadbent |first6=Hannah |last7=Bruce-Lockhart |first7=Chelsea |title=G20 Per Capita Coal Power Emissions 2023 |publisher=Ember |date=5 September 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/g20-per-capita-coal-power-emissions-2023 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jones2023g20, author = {Jones, Dave and Lolla, Aditya and Lee, Uni and Fulghum, Nicolas and Ewen, Matt and Broadbent, Hannah and Bruce-Lockhart, Chelsea}, title = {{G20 Per Capita Coal Power Emissions 2023}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/g20-per-capita-coal-power-emissions-2023}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }