I read this piece about which country is causing the most global warming. Not shocked at all.
Quick fact check while I was writing this: China actually isn't the most populous country anymore. India overtook them back in 2023 and now leads at around 1.46 billion people. China sits at 1.41 billion and is actually declining. That's worth keeping in mind when you look at emissions numbers.
Here's what's interesting though: North America made up 47% of the world's total emissions growth in 2025, led by the US. A huge chunk of that was data center demand — the US alone accounts for 40% of global data center electricity use. And while solar capacity grew by 28%, coal-based emissions still went up 13%. You can add clean energy and dirty energy at the same time. That's the part people miss.
China, for what it's worth, is actually moving. Their emissions dropped for the first time due to clean energy — renewables grew fast enough to push coal out of the power sector. Still imperfect, but they're making real progress.
India is harder to read. They slipped 13 places in the 2026 Climate Change Performance Index and their data tracking across the board — census, health, climate — has real gaps. Their targets are built to show progress without actually requiring emissions to drop. With 1.46 billion people and massive energy needs, it's a tough spot. But the lack of accountability doesn't help.
There is some good news though. Renewables overtook coal as the world's largest source of electricity in 2025 — the first time that's happened since 1919. That's a real milestone worth noting.
Meanwhile the US, with a fraction of the population, is burning more coal and cranking up data centers to feed an AI boom. The numbers don't lie.