The study was carried out by researchers at Princeton University and the University of California-Irvine (UC Irvine).
The scientists estimate that the power plants constructed in 2012 will emit 19 billion tons of carbon dioxide in their approximate 40-year lifespan.
The existing operating power plants in the US and Europe account for around 11% and 9% of committed emissions, respectively.
According to the study, the commitments have been stable or declining in recent years and around two-thirds of the emissions from the power sector are because of coal-burning stations.
China represents 42% of committed future emissions and India accounts for 8%.
UC Irvine assistant professor of Earth system science and lead author of the study Steven Davis said: "Bringing down carbon emissions means retiring more fossil fuel-burning facilities than we build.
"But worldwide, we’ve built more coal-burning power plants in the past decade than in any previous decade, and closures of old plants aren’t keeping pace with this expansion."
"Far from solving the climate change problem, we’re investing heavily in technologies that make the problem worse."
Princeton University professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Robert Socolow said: "A high-carbon future is being locked in by the world’s capital investments in power plants and other infrastructure.
"Finding paths to low-carbon industrialization must become a global priority."
Image: A coal-burning power plant at the Turceni Power Station in Romania. Photo: Courtesy of UC Irvine/Robert & Mihaela Vicol.
