Monsoon and renewables cool India’s emissions

India’s carbon emissions hit rare pause in 2025, report says; CO₂ production fell slightly, breaking the long-standing trend of steady growth. Times of India. This was the first decline recorded during normal economic conditions, unlike previous declines seen during disruptions such as the 2020 pandemic or the oil shocks of the 1970s.

The decline was mainly due to cyclical factors such as strong and early monsoon rains as well as the ongoing expansion in renewable energy. Cold weather and heavy rains reduced electricity demand, especially for air conditioning and farm irrigation. As a result, with cooling demand significantly reduced, the growth in power consumption has slowed to 1.4% in 2025, compared to over 6% in previous years.

This softness in energy demand is directly reflected in coal, which forms the backbone of India’s energy mix. There was a decline of approximately 3% in coal-fired generation; this was only the third such decline in half a century. It is estimated that weathering alone has reduced coal demand by roughly 8 million tonnes of coal equivalent and reduced CO2 emissions by more than 20 million tonnes.

At the same time, the supply side has become cleaner. Generous rains increased hydropower production, while renewable energy continued its rapid rise. India will add nearly 50 GW of solar capacity in 2025, increasing its total renewable energy by nearly 60%; This represents the fastest increase among major economies. Wind installations, although smaller in scale, have also doubled to over 6GW. Natural gas use fell 3.5% as demand decreased and cleaner production increased; this includes a nearly 10% decline in gas-fired energy.

Elsewhere, weather conditions had a notable impact on emissions. In America, the cold winter and high gas prices have spurred a switch to coal, increasing emissions. Europe’s emissions continued to fall, albeit more slowly; as weak wind and hydropower generation coincided with strong heating demand. China, by contrast, experienced a modest decline of around 0.5% as renewable energy and nuclear power rapidly replaced coal in electricity generation.

Globally this pattern was unusual. For the first time in nearly three decades, emissions in advanced economies grew faster than in developing economies: by 0.5% in the former, while growth slowed to 0.3% in the latter.
(With inputs from TOI)