India, China and Brazil were once the biggest polluters. Here’s what we can learn from their clean energy revolution

India, China and Brazil were once the biggest polluters. Here’s what we can learn from their clean energy revolution

While emerging economies such as China and India contribute to CO2 emissions, they are also some of the largest producers of renewable energy.

In just three years, India has grown its LED bulb usage from almost nothing to over 600 million.

China's mass production of solar cells and modules dropped prices by a staggering 99%.



If the world is to transition to a climate-compatible future, much will turn on new innovations in clean energy and whether they can be deployed at a large scale. This is especially critical for emerging economies, which are developing their infrastructure and undergoing economic growth and urbanisation at an unprecedented scale and pace, yet still often lack the support for technological innovation found in wealthier countries.

Six of these emerging economies - Brazil,