India has seen a remarkable 33% reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions over 14 years, surpassing expectations, owing to the rise of renewable energy production and an expansion of forest cover. These revelations come from sources familiar with the latest assessment, soon to be presented to the United Nations.
The report underscores India's substantial progress towards fulfilling its commitment under the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), aiming to slash emissions intensity by 45% from the 2005 baseline by 2030.
India's emissions intensity, a measure of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of economic growth, dropped by 33% between 2005 and 2019, as indicated by individuals involved in preparing the Third National Communication (TNC) report.
Numerous nations are preparing their TNC reports to update the UNFCCC on their emission reduction efforts.
India's yearly average rate of emission reduction surged to 3% during 2016-2019, a notable increase from about 1.5% during 2014-2016.
By the year 2019, India's landscape featured forests and trees covering 24.56%, equivalent to 80.73 million hectares.
This reduction in emissions was one of the swiftest on record and can be largely attributed to the government's proactive approach toward renewable energy, despite fossil fuels still maintaining a significant presence in the energy mix.
While India heavily relies on coal for energy, the government's demonstration that a combination of renewable energy adoption, effective traffic management, and forest conservation can align with emission targets might obviate the need for massive decommissioning of coal-fired power plants.
India has already made substantial investments in future coal projects. Scrapping these endeavors would not only result in substantial financial losses but could also erode confidence in Indian financial markets and the ability of state governments to prudently manage public funds.
Sources: Reuters, UNFCCC
Singh, Sarita Chaganti. Reuters. "India succeeds in reducing emissions rate by 33% over 14 years - sources". https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-succeeds-reducing-emissions-rate-by-33-over-14-years-sources-2023-08-09/. 09 Aug, 2023. [Date accessed: 11 Aug, 2023]
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