A study conducted under the Global Carbon Project revealed that India is the fourth largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, accounting for 7 per cent of global emissions in 2017.
The key facts from the study are–
- The top four emitters in 2017 were —
China (27 per cent)
US (15 per cent)
European Union (10 per cent)
India (7 per cent)
These four countries covered 58 per cent of the global emissions.
- India’s emissions look set to continue their strong growth by an average of 6.3 per cent in 2018, with growth across all fuels — coal (7.1 per cent), oil (2.9 per cent) and gas (6 per cent), the study said Wednesday.
- The top 10 emitters were China, the US, the EU, India, Russia, Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
- Emissions in India are likely to grow by a solid 6.3 per cent in 2018, pushed by strong economic growth of around 8 per cent per year.
- Although the global coal use is still 3 per cent lower than its historical high, it is expected to grow in 2018, driven by growth in energy consumption in China and India.
- The emissions in the rest of the world are expected to grow by 1.8 per cent in 2018. This group is of mainly developing countries and the five countries contributing most to the growth in this group in the last decade are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq and South Korea.
- China, India and the European Union are setting the pace. These regions represent 40 per cent of global carbon emissions. They are set to achieve more than what they agreed to in the first round of Paris Agreement in 2015.
- While China and India still rely heavily on coal, the US and the EU are slowly de-carbonizing.The study warned that the global emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and industry are projected to rise for the second consecutive year in 2018, by more than 2 per cent to a new record, mainly due to sustained growth in oil and gas use.
The suggestions given by the study include–
- India can continue to deploy solar farms, leveraging its leadership of the International Solar Alliance to displace coal and clean up its smog-choked cities.
- By 2020, India can announce its own fossil-fuel exit strategy and a target date for its peak CO2 emissions.
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