India, China, US 4th highest carbon dioxide emitters: Study

India, China, the US and the European Union (EU) have been ranked as the world’s top four emitters respectively of carbon dioxide accounting for 58 percent of global emissions in 2017, according to a study.

The study, released on the occasion of the world climate conference in Katowice, Poland, warned that global emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and industry are projected to rise for the second consecutive year in 2018 by more than two percent to a new record mainly due to sustained growth in oil and gas use.

The emissions in the rest of the world -- remaining 41 percent of global emissions -- are expected to grow by 1.8 percent in 2018. This group is of mainly developing countries and the five countries contributing most to the growth in this grouping in the last decade are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq and South Korea, the study said.

While China contributed 27 percent, the US (15 percent), the EU (10 percent) and India (7 percent), the rest of the world contributed 41 percent last year, said the projection by the Global Carbon project.

It identifies India, China, the US, the EU, Russia, Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi Arabia and South Korea as the world's top ten carbon dioxide emitters.

It also said though global use of coal remains three percent lower than its historical high, it is expected to grow in 2018, driven by growth in energy consumption in China and India.

According to the study, China, India and the European Union are setting the pace representing 40 percent of global carbon emissions.

The study said that while China and India still rely heavily on coal, the US and the EU are slowly de-carbonizing.

As India’s robust economic growth across all fossil fuels -- coal (7.1pc), oil (2.9pc) and gas (6.0pc) — continue to soar, the country’s emissions look set to continue go up by an average of 6.3 per cent in 2018, said the study.

"Coal is still the mainstay of the Indian economy and, as in China, it will be a challenge for solar and wind to displace coal, given the strong growth in energy use," it said.