G20 countries account for 80% of world power sector emissions, with per capita CO2 from coal power at 1.6 tons last year, up from 1.5 tons in 2015 and significantly higher than a global average of 1.1 tons, Ember said.
Is this from EVs or more powerful phones? I don’t understand the cause of this. Any ideas?
Nope, this is simply framing because the coal lobby pays millions to sell you the lie of how there is no way around coal and you should give up on reducing it.
In reality the majority of G20 countries are decreasing coal emissions steadily and with a goal to completely phase it out in years. But there are countries included in those 20 that increase coal instead (for example China is up 30% since 2015, India up 29%). And countries like South Korea and Australia while not increasing coal (but also being slower in reductions…) are just rediculous far ahead in emissions per capita (> 3t) thus having a much higher impact on the overall statistics.
Who’s fault is that? Most of the West got massive emissions reductions on paper by switching from coal to natural gas… A resource that China and India don’t have so readily accessible.
I say on paper because methane leakage in the extraction and transportation of natural gas can exceed the GHG emissions of actually burning natural gas for energy.
Its from China developing and needing more energy. Has very little to so with electrification, especially not the two you mention. Smartphones have no impact at all and EVs are not having a significant market share yet.
Exactly this. Most G20 countries had reduced coal emissions but China and India (plus Indonesia and Turkey) had increased coal emissions per capita. Because those countries account for ~3 billion people, nearly 40% of the world population, and an even greater percentage of G20 population, the total coal emissions of G20 has increased.
