Welcome to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

🍃From Europe to Indonesia, from India to Brazil, this #worldenvironmentday, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air revisits some of its evidence-based research revealing the impacts of fossil fuel usage on economies and public health across the globe, as well as the solutions in the energy transition 🌎⚡️

✉️ To learn more about the impacts of nonfossil fuel sources in your country, tap the link in bio and subscribe to our newsletter

In our latest China Energy and Emissions Trends – April 2026 snapshot, data shows that coal power is on the rise in China again despite continued growth in wind and solar. The key takeaways of the snapshot are:

🌿❗Weak clean power growth this year reflects not just poor weather but also grid congestion & rising clean power curtailment

🪨 🌿 This is exposing the structural tension between continued coal expansion and clean energy growth during a fossil fuel crunch

🔥 📈 Thermal power commissioning in Q1 surged by over 160% YoY, reaching a record high

☀️ 🍃 Solar power capacity additions fell by 31% YoY due to the high base in the same period last year; wind rose by 8%

🛢️ 📉 Shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz saw crude oil & natural gas imports falling by around 20% and 13% YoY, respectively

🏗️ 📉 Industrial value-added growth weakened, with parts of the chemical sector weakening due to Strait of Hormuz disruptions

☀️ 📉 Solar cell production fell 25.6% YoY, suggesting China’s sector is adjusting after last year’s rapid deployment boom

🔋 📈 Battery output remained strong, rising 55.6% YoY, supported by energy storage demand and exports

🚗 📈 NEVs continued to outperform the broader auto sector, with share of total vehicle production rising to 51% & exports more than doubling to a record high for the month

To learn more, tap on the link in bio

#china #energy #creamonthlies #fossilfuels #renewable

🇨🇳 China air quality trends snapshot, April 2026

In April 2026, after China tightened annual PM2.5 standards from 35 to 30 µg/m³ in March, the number of provincial capitals failing to comply rose sharply from 6 in Feb to 17 by the end of April.

Further key insights of the April 2026 China air quality trends snapshot:

⚠️💨 Non-compliant cities were concentrated not only in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region but also in parts of the Northeast and Northwest

📈🌦️ PM2.5 levels rose YoY in only 3 provincial capitals in April, compared with 18 in March. Weather strongly shaped PM2.5 outcomes, especially in northern cities

⚠️💨 Several northern industrial or transport-hub cities showed consistently high PM2.5 and O₃ levels (Zhengzhou, Lanzhou, Yinchuan, Xi’an, Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang)

⚠️💨 Tianjin, Xi’an, Taiyuan, and Lanzhou all ranked high for NO₂ and also appeared among the higher-ranking cities for PM2.5 and/or O₃

📉💨 Many southern capital cities saw notable drops in Ozone and PM2.5 simultaneously (Chongqing, Guangzhou, Changsha, Hefei, Guiyang, Shanghai)

Tap the link in bio learn more

#china #airpollution #CREAmonthlies #Beijing #cleanenergy

In 2025, the South African Department for Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) released a new Integrated Resources Plan that continues and formalises plans to extend the operating lifetimes of ten Eskom-operated coal-fired power plants, with some plants running for at least an additional decade.

This shift delays coal phase-out and is in direct opposition to South Africa’s climate commitments. The transboundary nature of air pollution makes it impossible to ignore, as climate change is already intensifying across Africa. Increasing heat, drought, floods, food insecurity, water stress, and health risks are placing growing pressure on livelihoods and public systems.

The latest health impact assessment (HIA) from CREA, Greenpeace Africa and GroundWork quantifies the air quality impacts of the South African government’s plan to delay the phase-out of coal-fired power plants and reveals that this delay will result in devastating health and economic consequences.

Keeping plants open beyond their planned retirement dates will cause an estimated 32,000 additional premature deaths between 2026 and 2050. The health burden extends heavily to children. The delay will result in 41,000 additional preterm births and 17,000 new cases of childhood asthma.

Read our full analysis to learn more, link in bio

#SouthAfrica #Airpollution #Greenpeace #CREA #Coal

📈 In April 2026, Russia’s monthly fossil fuel exports recorded the highest revenues in two and a half years – EUR 734 mn per day

In April, the top importers of RU fossil fuels were:

🇨🇳 China
🇮🇳 India
🇹🇷 Turkiye
🇪🇺 EU
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🇪🇺 Despite the EU’s ban on Russian spot LNG imports taking effect on 25 April 2026, unloaded volumes fell by just 8% month-on-month

In March, the top EU importers were:

🇫🇷 France
🇭🇺 Hungary
🇧🇪 Belgium
🇸🇰Slovakia
🇪🇸 Spain

📈 Russia exported EUR 189 mn of crude oil via the Druzhba pipeline in April. This was delivered to Hungary and Slovakia after the pipeline resumed operations following nearly three months of inactivity

⚠️ Despite the EU’s ban on oil products made from Russian crude, 8 shipments still unloaded at EU ports from refineries running on Russian crude

💡 A massive spike in oil prices following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to a rethink of a maritime services ban for Russian oil to ensure supplies for global markets

🏛️ CREA reiterates the need to practice strong enforcement of the price cap policy & address attestation fraud to adequately crunch Russian revenues

🇷🇺 Head to the link in bio and read CREA’s monthly analysis on fossil fuel exports from Russia

#russia #ukraine #eu #fossilfuels #straitofhormuz

⚡On January 9, 2026, India saw a new peak power demand at 245 GW. This peak demand was largely met by thermal power providing 67%, but renewable energy, notably solar at 20%, fulfilled the remaining demand, rendering the potential of renewable energy evident.

In the first edition of our newly launched India Quarterly Energy Snapshot – Q4 2025-26, analysts highlight that in India, renewable energy can meet the power demands yet a robust infrastructure of battery energy storage systems is the need of the hour. 

Here are the key takeaways of the assessment:

☀️📈 India generated 464 BU of electricity, up 3% YoY and driven by strong growth in non-fossil power generation, particularly solar

🪨📉 Coal & lignite generation both declined by 1%, while solar (+24%), wind (+11%), nuclear (+10%), & large hydro (+75%) all increased

❗Roughly 27 GW of solar and 4 GW of wind were curtailed, while an additional 83 GW of solar and 11 GW of wind were curtailed under India’s Tertiary Reserve Ancillary Service (TRAS)

❗Gujarat in Western India recorded the highest levels of direct and TRAS-related curtailment, highlighting growing challenges in integrating clean energy into India’s grid

🥇Maharashtra in Western India recorded the highest state-level peak demand (32 GW) in Q4 2025-26, followed by Gujarat (25 GW) & Uttar Pradesh (23 GW)

🔌🌿Capacity additions were led by renewables at 16.2 GW, compared with 2.3 GW of thermal and 0.5 GW of large hydro

🔥India commissioned 2.3 GW of new thermal capacity (all coal-based), down 18% YoY; no thermal capacity was retired

To read the full snapshot, tap on the link in bio.

#airpollution #renewableenergy #solarpower #india #cleanenergy

Branded as an electric vehicle (EV) boom, Indonesia’s nickel production has risen exponentially — approximately 67% of global production. This nickel boom is attributed to an increased EV battery production. However, a closer look reveals that most Indonesian nickel is still used in the production of stainless steel.

In CREA’s latest report, ‘Indonesia’s nickel: Aimed at EVs, but still parked in stainless steel’, analysts highlight the following salient points:

➡️ 83% of Indonesia’s 2025 nickel production was absorbed by the stainless steel sector, according to publicly available data

🚨Only 17% now goes into the EV battery supply chain, revealing a significant mismatch between the country’s ‘green nickel’ marketing and actual market demand

🔋 Indonesia’s nickel downstreaming strategy also faces a major threat as nickel-free batteries gain traction globally, especially in China

🏭 And the market faces a ‘dirty nickel’ paradox due to massive reliance on off-grid captive coal power

To read the full report, tap on the link in bio

#Indonesia #Nickel #EV #CleanEnergy #CleanAir

In March 2026, several provincial capitals in China failed to meet the new annual PM2.5 standard, which was changed from 35 µg/m³ to 30 µg/m³ also in March of this year.

CREA’s new monthly air quality snapshot for China shows that:

⚠️ Air quality worsened in 15 of China’s provincial capitals in March 2026, with 18 cities failing the tightened annual PM2.5 standard, up from 6 the previous month

💨 Monthly PM2.5 and ozone levels rose year-on-year (YoY) in more than half of all provincial capitals

📈Jinan, Changchun, & Wuhan saw the largest YoY rises in PM2.5 concentrations attributable to emissions

🌦️ Harbin’s sharp increase was driven mostly by unfavourable weather conditions, not higher emissions

🔴 Worst PM2.5: Harbin in Heilongjiang, followed by Changchun in Jilin, and Shenyang in Liaoning

🔴 Worst ozone: Kunming in Yunnan; Lhasa in Tibet; & Jinan in Shandong

🔴 Worst NO2: Shenyang; Tianjin, & Harbin

Tap on the link in bio to read the full snapshot.

#China #AirPollution #PM2.5 #CleanEnergy #ChinaMonthlySnapshot

🇨🇳NEW Report | Reclaiming credibility in China’s steel industry: Climate ambition, financial resilience, and market trust

China is the world’s largest producer and exporter of Steel; the sector plays a central role in both China’s domestic decarbonisation pathway and the evolution of global steel markets.

CREA’s new research raises a broader question: whether China’s steel sector can simultaneously meet its climate ambitions, maintain financial stability, and sustain constructive engagement with global markets. Restoring credibility will require structural adjustments that align climate commitments with financial discipline and evolving global trade dynamics.

To find out more, tap the link in bio.

#china #steel #carbonemissions #airpollution greensteel

🇹🇼⚕️NEW REPORT | Clean chips, clear air: Public health impacts from electronics industry electricity consumption in Taiwan

CREA’s latest analysis with @greenpeace_tw reveals that, in Taiwan, significant health and economic impacts of air pollution could be mitigated if Taiwan’s electronics manufacturing industry were to transition to renewable energy. The report analyses the air-quality impacts across three scenarios: no transition, achieving 2030 RE commitments, and transitioning to 100% RE. The following are the key findings of the report:

💨 Under a ‘current-mix’ scenario, if RE procurement by Taiwan electronics manufacturing (EM) companies persists at the 2023 level, air pollution attributable to this industry in 2030 would be linked to an estimated:

☠️ 90 premature deaths
😷 277 children suffering from asthma
🛏️ Nearly 19,000 work absences
❗ Almost USD 500M in health-related economic damages

📉 If leading semiconductor companies TSMC, Micron, and UMC in Taiwan can further speed up RE targets, the impacts would be substantially reduced, saving around 41 lives and USD 229M per year

🪙 TSMC, which has the highest RE target for 2030 (60%), would account for almost USD 169M in avoided health damages

As Taiwan’s electricity demand rises with the expansion of the AI industry, replacing fossil fuels with RE delivers substantial public health benefits.

To learn more, find the link to the full report in the bio.

#taiwan #fossilfuels #renewableenergy♻️ #ai #airpollution

🇷🇺 Russian fossil fuel exports & sanctions

📉 In February 2026, Russia’s monthly fossil fuel export revenues saw a 7% month-on-month increase to EUR 492 mn per day. This was despite only a 1% month-on-month increase in volumes.

In February, the top importers of RU fossil fuels were:
🇨🇳 China
🇹🇷 Turkiye
🇮🇳 India
🇪🇺 EU
🇧🇷Brazil

CREA’s analysis shows that the current energy crisis in #straitofhormuz could be EU’s opportunity to invest more in renewable energy sources, especially solar energy, which has already reduced the bloc’s reliance on gas, resulting in savings of an estimated 20.2 million on an average, per month.

In February, the top EU importers were:
🇫🇷 France
🇭🇺 Hungary
🇧🇪 Belgium
🇪🇸 Spain
🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇷🇺 Click on the link in bio to read the full monthly analysis on fossil fuel exports from Russia.

#Russia #europe #Renewableenergy #FossilFuels

India’s ambient air quality winter 2025-26 snapshot shows that winter air pollution worsens compared to last year: 204 cities breach air quality standards, up from 173, from 1 October 2025 to 28 February 2026. Key highlights from the snapshot are:

⚠️ ZERO cities complied with the World Health Organization safe guideline of
PM2.5 < 5µg/m³

⚠️ Ghaziabad ranked most polluted city in India in winter 2025-26, w/average PM2.5 concentration of 172 µg/m³, followed by Noida and Delhi

💡🌿 In the state of Karnataka, Chamarajanagar was the cleanest city in India during winter 2025-26, w/average PM2.5 of 19 µg/m³

For more detailed insights, find the full snapshot in the link in bio.

#india #CPCB #AirPollution #Ghaziabad #centralpollutioncontrolboard