BRICS nations lift power emissions to new highs over rest of world

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🗞️ Driving the news: The BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—emitted a record 1.98 billion metric tons of CO2 from power generation in Q1 2024, surpassing the rest of the world's combined emissions by 500 million tons, according to data from Ember

🔭 The context: These emissions underscore the growing pollution trend in emerging economies versus developed nations
• BRICS members, particularly China and India, are prioritizing economic growth, often at the expense of decarbonization efforts

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The increase in emissions from BRICS countries poses a significant challenge to global climate goals
• Their continued reliance on coal and other fossil fuels threatens to derail international efforts to mitigate climate change

⏭️ What's next: The potential expansion of the BRICS bloc and their continued prioritization of economic growth could lead to further increases in emissions
• This scenario might reduce the influence of western economic pressure on these nations to adopt greener policies

💬 One quote: "What we don’t want to see is a slide from the ambition, which is what I fear from the EPP and their tack to the far right," said Eamon Ryan, Ireland’s climate minister and Green Party leader

📈 One stat: China and India accounted for over 90% of the BRICS emissions total in Q1 2024, largely due to their high coal usage

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