On climate, India, China are doing their fair share, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• India and China led global renewable energy (RE) expansion in 2025, according to Carbon Brief data.
• Record RE capacity additions resulted in a decline in coal power generation in both countries for the first time in 50 years.
• China's electricity demand increased five times compared to 2024, while India is projected to be the second-largest renewables market in the next five years.
• EU's solar capacity additions decreased for the first time in a decade due to geopolitical uncertainties and energy shocks.
• The US saw an increase in heat-trapping gases in 2025, reversing a trend that began in 2005.

Detailed Insights:

• India and China's advocacy for a larger carbon budget is often viewed critically, but their progress in using green technology for development is frequently overlooked.
• The EU experienced a rise in fossil fuel-generated electricity in the first half of 2025 due to unstable wind conditions and drought, highlighting the challenges of RE intermittency.
• Geopolitical uncertainties, energy shocks, and the cost-of-living crisis have slowed down climate change mitigation efforts in the EU.
• A significant portion of the EU's aging grid infrastructure is not designed for the variable input of power from sources like solar or wind.
• Sustaining the decline in fossil fuel use in India and China requires upgrading grids and investing in energy storage systems to manage RE intermittency.
• Meeting clean energy goals largely depends on developed economies overcoming recent barriers to climate change mitigation, as emphasized by the International Energy Agency.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Carbon Budget: The permissible amount of carbon dioxide emissions over a specific timeframe to limit global warming.
• Renewable Energy (RE): Energy derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly, such as solar, wind, and hydropower.
• GHG Footprint: The total amount of greenhouse gases generated by actions.
• Decarbonisation: The process of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.