Positive Developments in India and Australia's Emission Reduction Efforts
In a significant move, the Australian government has announced a national plan to reduce its emissions by 62 to 70% by 2035. This ambitious target marks a step forward in the global fight against climate change. However, environmental groups in Australia have expressed disappointment, considering the target to be too low.
Across the globe, India is making strides in clean energy. The country's power sector has seen a 1% year-on-year decrease in carbon dioxide emissions in the first half of 2025. This decline is attributed to the growth in clean energy capacity, which reached a record 25.1 gigawatts in the same period, up 69% year-on-year. Solar energy continues to dominate new installations, with 17.5 GW coming from large-scale solar projects and 3.2 GW from solar rooftops.
India's CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and cement grew at their slowest rate in the first half of 2025 since 2001, reflecting the nation's commitment to cleaner energy. Slower economic expansion in India meant there was zero growth in demand for oil products in the first half of 2025.
The European Union (EU) has also seen a reduction in CO2-equivalent emissions. The region recorded a decrease of 1.4% in August 2025 compared to the previous year, marking a continuation of the ongoing emission decline trends.
In the United States, the Inflation Reduction Act, a significant investment in the country's green-energy future, has faced challenges. Three years after its passage, the Act has been stripped bare, raising concerns about the future of the U.S.'s green-energy sector.
Christiana Figueres, former head of the U.N.'s Framework Convention on Climate Change, emphasizes that decarbonization is racing ahead and it's about the climate economy, not climate politics anymore. David Wallace-Wells, a contributor to the New York Times, suggests that the tools to address climate change need to be cheaper than the business as usual approach for human civilization to avoid sailing towards an abyss.
However, the transition to clean energy is not without its challenges. Government infrastructure spending in India helped accelerate CO2 emissions growth from steel and cement production by 7% and 10%, respectively, in the first half of 2025. The article also mentions that the guardians of fossil fuels are distorting the clean energy process.
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