Economic slowdown will lighten India’s carbon burden: Study

News: According to an analysis published in Carbon Brief, carbon dioxide emissions in India are poised to grow at their slowest since 2001. There would only be a 2% rise from 2018.

Facts:

Factors contributing to slow rise in CO2 emissions:

• Slower growth in coal-based power generation: This is mainly due to fall in Industrial coal use because of a slowdown in the construction sector as a response to the economic slowdown.
• Rise in renewables: Wind generation rose by 17% in the first six months of 2019 compared to the same period a year earlier, with solar up 30% and hydro increasing by 22%

Additional Information:

India’s Carbon footprint:

• According to a report by the International Energy Emissions Agency, India’s per capita emissions were about 40% of the global average and contributed 7% to the global carbon dioxide burden. The U.S. is the largest emitter contributing 14% to global CO2 burden.

India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to Paris Climate Change Agreement:

• reduce the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of its GDP by 33% to 35% by 2030 from 2005 level,
• increase total cumulative electricity generation from fossil free energy sources to 40% by 2030,
• create additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tons through additional forest and tree cover