E-Paper
India’s emissions up 4.6% in 2016-19, new climate plans show
India's total emissions increased by 4.56% in 2019 compared to 2016 levels, and have nearly doubled since 2000, according to a report submitted to the UNFCCC. The energy sector contributed the most to emissions (75.81%), followed by agriculture (13.44%), industrial processes (8.41%), and waste (2.34%). However, India has successfully decoupled economic growth from emissions, with a 33% reduction in emissions intensity of its GDP between 2005 and 2019. India has also achieved its target of reducing emission intensity by 33-35% by 2030, 11 years in advance.
India’s total emissions increased by 4.56% in 2019 compared to the 2016 levels, and have nearly doubled since 2000, the third national communication and first adaptation communication cleared by the Union Cabinet for submission to the UNFCCC has indicated.
The national communication will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change during the ongoing UN Climate Summit (COP28), environment minister Bhupender Yadav said.
According to the national communication, which reports greenhouse gas emissions for 2019, the energy sector contributed the most to the overall anthropogenic emissions (75.81%), followed by the agriculture sector (13.44%), Industrial Process and Product Use (IPPU) sector (8.41%), and waste (2.34%).
But, the emission intensity of its GDP has reduced by 33% between 2005 and 2019, the report said, highlighting that India has managed to decouple economic growth and rate of increase in emissions.
The Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector remained a net sink in 2019, accounting for the removal of 4,85,472 GtCO2e (gigatonnes CO2 equivalent) of emissions.
Considering total emissions and removals, India’s net national emissions in 2019 were 2.6 billion tons CO2e.
According to its second national communication submitted in 2000, the net emissions in that year were 1301209.39 GtCO2e.
“Submission of India’s Third National Communication (TNC) and Initial Adaptation Communication will fulfil the obligation of India to furnish information regarding implementation of the Convention and its Paris Agreement, being a Party,” the statement from the environment ministry said.
The TNC underlines India’s national circumstances, it’s overriding priority of ensuring the development and well-being of its people, enhancing adaptive capacities to better address the increasing impacts of climate change, while still contributing more than its fair share to the global climate change mitigation.
“India is home to 18% of the global population but is responsible for less than 4% of the global cumulative CO2 emissions between 1850 and 2019,” the ministry statement said.
The important feature of the growth and development of the country is the continuous reduction in the emission intensity of the economy which is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted for every unit increase of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“India’s GDP between 2005 to 2019 has grown with Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 7%, whereas the emissions grew at a CAGR of about 4%. i.e., the rate of growth of emissions is lower than the rate of growth of our GDP. This shows that India has successfully continued to decouple its economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in the reduction of the emission intensity of its GDP by 33% between 2005 and 2019,” the report added.
The TNC said that it has achieved the target of reduction of emission intensity by 33-35% over 2005 level by 2030, 11 years in advance. India has also revised the target of reduction of emission intensity by 45% by 2030, over 2005 level, in its revised nationally determined contributions (NDCs) submitted last year.
India’s share of non-fossil sources based installed capacity of electricity generation in 2023 is more than 41%. During 2005 to 2019, an additional carbon sink of 1.97 billion tonnes of CO2e has been created.
“We are well on track to achieve the target of creation of additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3.0 billion tonnes through tree and forest cover by 2030,” the report said.
The national communication is submitted to UNFCCC every four years since entering the Convention and captures national circumstances, emissions, vulnerability, greenhouse gas inventory, capacity and finance needs, among others. India’s first national communication was submitted in 2004 followed by the second one in 2012 based on emissions data from 2000.
India had submitted two National Communications and three Biennial Update Report (BUR) to the UNFCCC earlier. India submitted last BUR in 2021 with GHG inventory of 2016. Further, India also submitted its Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy during last CoP in 2022. The Third National Communication to UNFCCC is based on the GHG inventory of 2019 and includes Initial Adaptation Communication,” the statement said.
India is one among the 26 developing countries which have submitted their communications based on GHG inventory of 2019 or later years. China submitted its latest communication with GHG inventory of 2014, Brazil with 2016, South Africa with 2017, and Saudi Arabia with 2012.
The national communication was prepared with reference to 87 studies with several expert Institutions, key inputs from officials from 27 nodal ministries, inputs from independent experts, NGOs and Think Tanks, which have been examined in depth by the Technical Advisory Committee, and by the respective ministries before final approval by a Steering Committee.
Under article 7.11 of the Paris Agreement, the TNC also carries a special Annexure on India’s Adaptation Communication which gives details of adaptation measures undertaken by India. Public finance covers most of the adaptation-based activities through flagship programmes, schemes etc. Around 40 ministries have adaptation relevant budgetary provisions. The total adaptation relevant expenditure was 5.6% of the GDP in 2021-2022, growing from a share of 3.7% in 2015-16.
“There is significant gap in adaptation resources which cannot be met only through governmental resources. Considering the increase in the adverse impacts of climate change as well as costs of resilience measures, significant contributions needs to be channelized through bilateral and multilateral public finance and private investments,” the report said.
India also has emphasised that it has met its climate mitigation efforts largely through domestic sources of finance.
“India’s achievements in climate action have been largely through its own financial and human resources, that can certainly be enlarged in scope and extended further if financial assistance, technology transfer and capacity building needs are met,” the report said.
“The developed countries must walk their talk and live up to their responsibilities and commitments ($100 billion per annum) under the Convention reiterated from time to time, even as developing countries are doing their utmost to cope with the challenges that global warming has thrust on them,” it added.
“India’s national communication highlights that India achieved its emissions intensity target 11 years earlier compared to 2030. India’s economy has grown significantly since 2005, which implies more cars on the road, more residential electricity demand and industrialisation energy growth. The fact that in spite of the economic growth effect emissions intensity decline has been beyond expectations shows that India’s efforts on ramping up renewable energy capacity and energy efficiency have been truly phenomenal,” said Vaibhav Chaturvedi, a fellow at Council on Energy, Environment and Water, said.
