India drives global rise in CO2 emissions: Report

India drives global rise in CO2 emissions: Report

News

According to Global Carbon Project Report global carbon emissions are set to hit an all-time high of 37.1 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2018

Facts:

• The 2018 global emission is expected to rise by more than 2 percent from last year, driven by a solid growth in coal use and sustained growth in oil and gas use.
• India, the third-highest contributor, is projected to see carbon emissions rise by 6.3% from 2017
• The 10 biggest emitters in 2018 are China (accounts for almost 27%), U.S., India, Russia, Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Canada
• To limit the global warming below 2°C as decided during 2015 Paris Agreement, would need carbon dioxide emissions to decline by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by about 2050.
• In the 15 countries that emit the most greenhouse gases (GHGs), the health impacts of air pollution are estimated to cost more than 4% of their GDP, whereas actions to meet the Paris goals would cost around one per cent of the global GDP
• Major Contribution: The report identified an increased number of cars on the road and a rise in coal use globally as the major contributing factors.

Additional Facts:

• The greenhouse gases are Water Vapor, Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Ozone, Chlorofluorocarbons Hydrofluorocarbons (incl. HCFCs and HFCs).

Global Carbon Project

• GCP is a core project of International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
• Established in 2001 by Future Earth and a research partner of the World Climate Research Programme.
• Aim is to develop a complete picture of the global carbon cycle, including both its biophysical and human dimensions together.
• International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme – Launched by The International Council of Scientific Unions in 1987, to coordinate international research on global-scale and regional-scale interactions between Earth’s biological, chemical and physical processes and their interactions with human systems).

Carbon footprint

• A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases—primarily carbon dioxide—released into the atmosphere by a particular human activity
• It is usually measured as tons of CO2 emitted per year, a number that can be supplemented by tons of CO2-equivalent gases, including methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases.