Energy sector emits 70% of country's greenhouse gases

The energy sector in India is responsible for 71% of country's total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG's), a report from India to the United Nations on climate change has revealed. The 'Biennial Update Report' (BUR) was submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as part of India's responsibility to report the progress made on its promises to fight climate change and tackle temperature rise. At the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit, India had promised to reduce its emissions intensity or emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 20-25%. As per the BUR, India has achieved a 12% reduction in emissions intensity by 2010. The BUR report accounted the emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride to calculate total emissions.

"The emission intensity of GDP has reduced by 12% from 2005 to 2010, on course to meeting the voluntary target of 20-25% reduction in emission intensity of GDP by 2020," Union minister of environment, forest and climate change Prakash Javadekar said in the report. Even as the report majorly studied the 2005-2010 period, the trend in GHG emissions shows that in the period 2000 to 2010, the emissions increased from 1,301.2 million tonnes in 2000 to 2,136 million tonnes.

The report said that carbon dioxide or CO2 dominates the total GHG emissions and the energy sector comprising of electricity production, manufacturing industries, transport sector and fugitive emissions generates the maximum CO2 in the country.

Methane, nitrous oxide and halogenated gases are the other major GHG's emitted in the country. While the energy sector accounts for 71% of emissions, agriculture sector emits 18% GHG's followed by Industrial Processes and Products Use (IPPU) sector that accounts for 8% with 3% from waste sector.

The report revealed that methane or CH4 accounts for most of the GHG emitted in the agriculture sector along with nitrous oxide. This happens mainly due to livestock rearing, rice cultivation, burning of crop lands and use of chemicals and fertilisers. Emissions in the IPPU sector were from major sources such as mineral industries – cement, lime, glass, and ceramics – chemical industries and metal production. The dominant emitter in the IPPU sector, though, is the minerals industry.

India is the third largest GHG emitter in the world and during the Paris climate summit held last month India has committed to reduce emissions intensity by 33-35% by 2030, once its Copenhagen commitment is fulfilled.

Key to the reduction in emissions is going to be the ambitious plan to scale up share of non-fossil fuel in energy production to 40%. For this, the government has planned to ramp up production of solar energy, wind energy, hydro electric power and nuclear energy.