1、G20 Per Capita CoalPower Emissions 2023Australia and South Korea retain their positions as G20s top polluters.Published date:5 September 2023Lead authors:Rini Sucahyo,Ardhi Arsala RahmaniContributors:Dave Jones,Aditya Lolla,Uni Lee,Nicolas Fulghum,MattEwen,Chelsea Bruce-Lockhart,Hannah Broadbent1Con

2、tentsExecutive SummaryIntroduction:Why G20 mattersRanked:G20 per capita emissionsTrends and implicationsGlobal trends in coal power emissions per capita,2015-2022Twelve G20 economies seeing declines in emissions per capitaEmissions per capita increasing in six G20 countriesG20 transition progress is

3、 lagging behindConclusionSupporting MaterialsMethodologyEmissions per capita calculationsAcknowledgementsHeader imageAboutThis analysis looks into the coal emissions of the G20 on a per capita basis,usingdata from Embers Global Electricity Review 2023,generation data from ElectricityData Explorer an

4、d annual population data from the United Nations.2Executive SummaryAustralia,South Korea are G20stop coal polluters per capitaMore countries are seeing decreasing per capita coal emissions as theyshift towards clean power,but coal pollution remains an issue.New analysis by energy think tank Ember fi

5、nds that per capita coal power pollution in morethan half of the G20 economies are declining.However,despite continued decline,the toptwo coal polluters Australia and South Korea are still far ahead;a position they haveheld since 2020.This showcases the pace of clean transition,which is one of the k

6、ey drivers to phase downcoal,is not fast enough.Coal reliance continues in the groups major economies,increasingin countries such as China which falls in third place for per capita coal emissions.01Top two coal polluters,each emitmore than triple the world averageAustralia and South Korea are on ave

7、rage the G20s top two coal polluters,each emitting three times more coal emissions per capita than the averageperson in the world.Although they have also had their coal emissions percapita declining,they are still far ahead as top two.0212 out of 20 G20 economies sawdeclining per capita coal emissio

8、nssince 20153Over half of the worlds largest economies have seen coal emissions percapita declining as a result of policies that ramp up renewables.Butemissions in some emerging economies were still increasing in 2022.03Pace of clean transition isnt fastenoughThe speed of clean transition is not fas

9、t enough to help drive fossilphasedown and keep 1.5C within limit.Top polluters such as Australia andSouth Korea decreased their per capita coal emissions by 26%and 10%respectively since 2015.But,as their starting point was far ahead,they stilllead in coal pollution by more than three times the worl

10、d average.The G20 accounts for 80%of global emissions.Within the group,however,an individualscoal emissions in 2022 were notably higher,with per capita figures reaching 1.6 tonnes ofcarbon dioxide,compared to the global average of 1.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide.With thenearing deadline to limit rise i

11、n global temperatures to 1.5C,G20 countries must be united intheir efforts to triple renewables and plan for rapid and deep cuts in coal power generation.“China and India are often blamed as the worlds big coal power polluters.Butwhen you take population into account,South Korea and Australia were t

12、heworst polluters still in 2022.As mature economies,they should be scaling uprenewable electricity ambitiously and confidently enough to enable coal to bephased out by 2030.”Dave JonesGlobal Insights Lead,Ember4“India,as the host of the G20 summit,has the opportunity to assume climateleadership in t

13、he G20 and hold the bloc accountable.Indias plans to ramp uprenewable energy seem to align well with the COP28 presidents call for triplingrenewables by 2030.Indias early backing to this call can not only influence theG20 into action but also ensure that the developed countries bring their percapita

14、 emissions down.”Aditya LollaAsia Programme Lead,Ember5Introduction:Why G20 mattersG20 holds the key in keeping 1.5Cwithin reachThe G20 could make or break global efforts to accelerate clean power.The G20 has become a focal point for global efforts to advance clean power transition andreduce carbon

15、emissions.Accounting for 85%of the global GDP and contributing to 80%ofthe worlds power sector emissions,the G20 plays a crucial role to lead this transition.Around 36%of global electricity was generated from coal in 2022,producing 8,367 milliontonnes of carbon emissions.Calculated on a per capita b

16、asis,this means that the averageperson worldwide emitted around 1.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide from coal power in 2022.In addition to comparing countries on their share of coal power and total power sectoremissions,it is a helpful metric to consider emissions on a per capita basis to compensatefor lar

17、ge differences in population size and electricity demand.Ember data shows that G20 countries(excluding the EU as a region)emit 1.6 tonnes of coalpower emissions per capita,exceeding the world average of 1.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide.Yet the G20 countries remain divided in their deliberations on the c

18、all to triple renewablesand have failed to come to a consensus.Amid controversies,75 nations are showing commitment by either phasing out coal or notbuilding new coal plants without carbon capture.However,challenges remain,as seven G20nationsBrazil,China,India,Japan,South Korea,South Africa,and the

19、United Stateshaventyet unveiled their coal phase-down strategies.Highlighted by an increasingly extreme climate,the urgency to ensure a global temperaturerise well below 1.5C is clearer than ever.As the worlds major economies and top carbonemitters,decisions the G20 states make on clean transition w

20、ill have lasting implications.And wider acceleration of renewables within the G20 will help drive this.6Ranked:G20 per capita emissionsEmissions per capita in Australiaand South Korea still far aheadEach of the top two polluters emit more than triple the 2022 globalaverage,highlighting the urgency f

21、or faster clean transition.In 2022,per capita emissions from coal power in all G20 countries combined was 1.6tonnes of carbon dioxide.This is 54%more than the global average in the rest of the worldwhich stood at 1.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide.Australia and South Korea particularly stood out as the to

22、p two coal polluters per-capitaamong the G20,an unchanged status since 2020.They each emit over three times the globalaverage and more than twice the G20 average,surpassing even China,the US,and Japan.7Australia remained the highest in terms of per capita coal power emissions of all G20countries des

23、pite recent uptick in wind and solar power.Australia has twice the electricityuse per capita of China,and still 47%of its electricity in 2022 was from coal power.However,solar and wind power have been growing:their share of electricity rose from 7%in 2015 toalmost 26%in 2022,which was the main reaso

24、n for the fall in share of coal from 64%to 48%.At the same time,electricity use per capita was broadly unchanged.This means per capitacoal power emissions fell by 26%from 2015 to 2022.In 2022,coal power emissions per capita fell by about 5%,compared to 2021,as coalgeneration fell by 8 TWh.This was c

25、aused by a rise in solar,wind and gas generation,evenas electricity demand rose by more than 2%.In South Korea,the share of wind and solar was only 1%of electricity in 2015,and it hasgrown fivefold since then to more than 5%in 2022.Yet South Koreas solar and wind share isstill well below the global

26、average of 12%,and their electricity is still 34%powered by coal.This has led them to emit more than three metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per individual,which also amounts to approximately three times the global average.This is despite theirper capita coal emissions having dropped by 10%in seven ye

27、ars between 2015 to 2022.8Trends and implicationsThe slow progress of transitionThe combined G20 per capita emissions barely changed since 2015.Growing wind and solar are helping to reduce coal power emissions per capita in manycountries,but its not enough yet to keep pace with rising electricity de

28、mand in mostemerging countries.The G20 per capita emissions have shown minimal change since 2015.9Trends in coal power emissions per capita inG20 countries,2015-2022Global coal power emissions per capita have increased slightly from 1 tonnes of carbondioxide in 2015 to 1.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide i

29、n 2022.However,at a national level in theG20,there has been a decline in the majority of countries,with some emerging economiescontinuing to see increases in coal power emissions per capita.Twelve G20 economies seeing declines in emissions per capitaPer capita coal power emissions have decreased in

30、major G20 economies in the last sevenyears,including in Australia,South Korea,South Africa,the US,Germany,Canada,the UK,Brazil,Mexico,France,Italy and Argentina.The UK saw the most significant decline in coal power emissions per capita in the last sevenyears,dropping by 93%,followed by France(-63%),

31、Italy(-50%),and Brazil(-42%).In bothFrance and Brazil,the declines resulted from fossil generation being replaced by cleanersources.In Australia,coal power emissions per capita have dropped by 26%since 2015,driven by themassive growth in solar and wind.South Koreas emissions have also decreased,thou

32、gh notas fast.With increasing clean power generation,South Korea has seen a 10%drop in coalpower emissions per capita between 2015 and 2022.However,despite these noteworthy declines in Australia and South Korea,their coal poweremissions per capita remain much higher than the world average.Among the

33、G20,per capita coal power emissions in Australia remains the highest as itcontinues to rely on coal,which made up 48%of the countrys electricity generation(130.9TWh)in 2022.Australia is also falling short of its 2030 goal to achieve 82%share ofrenewables in power generation by 2030.In addition,the v

34、ast resource of coal has made Australia an enabler for other countries inbecoming polluters as they rank second in the world as largest coal exporter after Indonesia.Emissions per capita increasing in six G20 countriesTwo G20 countries Indonesia and Trkiye saw notable rises in coal power emissions p

35、ercapita over the last seven years,although still below the world average.10Indonesia witnessed the highest percentage rise among the G20,with per capita coal poweremissions surging by 56%from 2015 to 2022(+0.2 tCO2).Trkiye also experienced asignificant increase of 41%in emissions per capita(+0.3 tC

36、O2).In China,per capita coal power emissions rose by 30%(+0.7 tCO2 from 2015 to 2022),whichwere only below Australia and South Korea.But unlike Australia and South Korea,this wasdue to rapidly growing demand outpacing the growth in clean generation.Since 2015,its percapita coal emissions have increa

37、sed by about 4%annually on average,despite 670 GW ofrenewables being added in the same period.India experienced a 29%increase in seven years(+0.2 tCO2).Both countries areexperiencing rapid electricity demand growth,which is outpacing even the massiverenewables expansion in recent years.As a result,t

38、heir coal-fired generation has alsoincreased in this period.Russias per capita emissions also grew by 20%since 2015(+0.17 tCO2).Japan,whileshowing a relatively modest increase,saw its per capita coal power emissions inch up by 2%from 2015(+0.04 tCO2).The rises in emissions per capita stem from the o

39、ngoing use of coal to meet the pick up indemand as pandemic restrictions ease,as well as the extreme weather events in summerand winter which drove coal generation up.G20 needs to build renewables much fasterAlthough per capita emissions have declined in most G20 countries since 2015,this is notenou

40、gh to reduce global coal power emissions per capita,nor the overall G20 coal poweremissions per capita.In fact,the G20 per capita coal emissions slightly increased by about9%from 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2015 to 1.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2022.Coal power is still rising,where it needs to

41、 be rapidly falling.Concerted efforts are requiredto accelerate the transition to renewables and effectively phase down coal power.Adoptingrenewables on a broader scale will play a pivotal role in expediting the clean powertransition,which is essential to significantly reduce per capita coal power e

42、missions.11ConclusionG20s crucial role in triplingrenewables by 2030Opportunity for G20 to take centre stage on an ambitious globalrenewables goal,leading to an accelerated transition to clean power.The G20 nations are at a critical juncture to show leadership and drive global actions to endfossil f

43、uels and usher in an era of clean power.As the worlds largest economies,the G20has the opportunity to prepare the scene at the G20 Summit for determined actions:01Triple renewables by 2030Set and commit to higher renewable targets.Tripling global renewablecapacity by 2030 is priority number one to k

44、eep 1.5C within reach.02Plan for a coal power phase-downG20 countries must live up to their COP26 pledge to phase down coalpower by aligning system-wide plans,clear and enabling policies,financialmechanisms and global partnerships.Investing in renewables,rather than persisting with coal dependency,b

45、rings multiplebenefits.Renewables provide homegrown clean power,curb emissions,bolster energysecurity and spur economic growth through innovation and job creation.12Supporting MaterialsMethodologyEmissions per capita calculationsViewing emissions that are averaged over population size in each countr

46、y helps to assessthe degree of coal pollution individuals are responsible for.For this report,we calculate coalpower emissions using the IPCC AR5 midpoint lifecycle emissions factor of820gCO2eqkWh-1,multiplying it by electricity generation.In real terms this figure is known tobe an underestimate,but

47、 allows comparability between countries and does not significantlyimpact the rankings in this report.Per capita values were calculated using annual population data from the United Nations.Total coal emissions generated in a country or region were divided by the population data fora given year.The an

48、alysis excludes G20 countries without coal generation(i.e.Saudi Arabia).Data setThe data set includes the calculated per capita coal emissions of all G20 countries includedin this analysis,as well as the world average numbers.You can access the data set here.Forthe raw data of coal generation,please

49、 refer to our Electricity Data Explorer,or download thedata.AcknowledgementsContributorsDave Jones and Aditya Lolla played a critical role in developing the analytical elements ofthis report.Uni Lee,Nicolas Fulghum and Matt Ewen all played key roles in data validationand methodological accuracy.The

50、contributions of Hannah Broadbent in editing andstructure enhancement,along with Chelsea Bruce-Lockharts expertise in data visualisations,have been invaluable in shaping the final outcome of this work.13Header imageQueenslands largest single coal-fired power station in Gladstone,Queensland,AustraliaCredit:Lincoln Fowler/Alamy Stock Photo Ember,2023Published under a Creative Commons ShareAlike Attribution Licence(CC BY-SA 4.0).You are actively encouragedto share and adapt the report,but you must credit the authors and title,and you must share any material youcreate under the same licence.