In 2023, India’s per capita CO2 emissions were around 2.1 metric tons per person, compared to much higher figures in countries like Saudi Arabia, which had the highest per capita emissions at over 17 metric tons per person.
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China had the highest CO2 emissions among G20 countries, while Argentina had the lowest. India’s per capita emissions were the lowest among the G20 nations, highlighting its efforts in maintaining a lower carbon footprint.
India’s achievement is largely due to the country’s agrarian economy and relatively low per capita energy consumption compared to many developed nations. Despite being the most populous G20 country, India’s efforts in deploying renewable energy and maintaining lower emissions have been commendable.
The latest International Energy Agency (IEA) report on CO2 emissions provides a comprehensive analysis of global emissions in 2023.
Global Emissions CO2 emissions reached a new record high in 2023, with an increase of 1.1%, increasing 410 million tonnes (Mt) to reach a new record high of 37.4 billion tonnes (Gt). This was driven by weather effects and continued reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nevertheless, the growth in clean energy technologies, such as renewables, electric vehicles, and heat pumps, helped limit the rise in global emissions.
Emissions from energy combustion increased, while emissions from industrial processes decreased.
Between 2019 and 2023, total energy-related emissions increased around 900 Mt. Without the growing deployment of five key clean energy technologies since 2019 – solar PV, wind, nuclear, heat pumps, and electric cars – the emissions growth would have been three times larger.