changeadminIndia’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions decreased by 7.93 per cent in 2020 with respect to 2019.
This came to light as India’s 4th Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was submitted on 30th December 2024.
The BUR-4 updates the Third National Communication (TNC) and contains the National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory for the year 2020. The report also embodies information on India’s national circumstances, mitigation actions, and an analysis of the constraints, gaps, related finance, technology, and capacity-building needs.
In a post on social media, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Mr Bhupender Yadav, informed that India is leading by example in sustainable growth.
In 2020, India’s total GHG emissions decreased by 7.93 per cent with respect to 2019. The emissions, excluding Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), were 2,959 million tonnes of CO2e and net emissions of 2,437 million tonnes of CO2e, including LULUCF.
The sectors that contribute to India’s emissions are –
- Energy – 75.66 percent
- Agriculture – 13.72 percent
- Industrial Processes and Product Use – 8.06 percent
- Waste – 2.56 percent
In 2020, India’s forest and tree cover, along with other land use sequestered approximately 522 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent to reducing 22% of the country’s total carbon dioxide emissions in 2020.
India’s achievements in respect of the NDC targets:
India has progressively continued decoupling economic growth from GHG emissions. Between 2005 and 2020, India’s emission intensity of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reduced by 36%.
By October 2024, the share of non-fossil sources in the installed electricity generation capacity was 46.52%. The total installed capacity of renewable power, including large hydropower, is 203.22 GW and cumulative renewable power installed capacity (excluding large hydro projects) has increased 4.5 times from 35 GW in March 2014 to 156.25 GW.
India’s forest and tree cover has consistently increased and currently stands at 25.17% of the total geographical area of the country. From 2005 to 2021, an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent has been created.
Despite India’s very low contribution to historical emissions and the current levels of global emissions, India has taken proactive actions to combat climate change in the context of sustainable development and its developmental aspirations. This is in light of India’s national circumstances, reflecting principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), as enshrined in the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement.
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