Asian Carbon Emissions Affects West’s Clean Energy Transition Process in 2024

By Shubhendra Anand , 12 December, 2024

Globally, countries are facing challenges in the transformation of green energy. The economies worldwide target to achieve net zero emissions. Hence, countries are introducing several ways to reduce environmental carbon emissions. Developing countries like China are contributing towards renewable production. Additionally, China is developing its industrial sector with electric vehicle production in the automotive industry. However, the global emissions data shows a different picture. A survey in 2024 reveals that Asian countries are responsible for hampering the West's progress in the clean energy transition. The data reveals several factors that make Asian countries vulnerable to emissions. These factors hinder the growth of energy transformation in the western countries.

The survey in 2024 studies the data from 2022 reports. Based on that survey, China will be the leading country contributing towards carbon emissions in 2024. China's carbon emission rates cover one-fourth of global emissions. It is due to the nation's heavy dependency on coal. According to researchers, the United States experienced reduced carbon emissions in recent years. Carbon emissions drop by 2.7 percent in 2022 in the United States.

Similarly, the European Union experienced a fall in carbon emissions up to 6.6 percent in 2022. However, the Asia-Pacific region experienced an increase in carbon emissions of 4.9 percent in 2022. The rise in carbon emissions equals the triple decline in the United States and European Union.

Experts claim that China's short-term energy demand offsets the country's renewable energy production. The carbon emissions in China are arising from the heavy reliance on coal, the construction industry, and the growth of the steel industry. Additionally, India and Indonesia are responsible for the increasing emissions in Asian countries. These countries contribute to carbon emissions with an increase in industrialization. Recently, India's power demands were highest in 2024. Hence, industrialization and power demand force these countries' dependency on coal. It is the large population of Asian countries that affects power consumption. Therefore, Asian countries are reported to have increasing carbon emissions in 2024.

Carbon emissions in European region, the United States and Asia-Pacfiic region until 2023