India Controls Carbon Emission Growth

London: Ahead of UN Climate Summit in Doha, a new research published has come up with its data which says India has managed to control carbon emissions in comparison to other economies like China, the U.S. and European Union (EU), the biggest polluters during the year.

The research Global Carbon Project from University of East Anglia in the UK shows China, United States and European Union contributed 28 percent, 16 percent and 11 percent in the global emissions during the year while Indian figures were at seven percent, despite a 7.5 percent growth during the year.

In terms of per capita emissions, India contributed 1.8 tonnes, way behind the United States, the European Union and China which stood at 17.2 tonnes, 7.3 tonnes and 6.6 tonnes, respectively, the results published in the journal Nature Climate Change and Earth System Science Data show.

Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general of Centre for Science and Environment told PTI that India’s emissions are bound to increase because of the low base. He said since our emissions are already very low, any change would reflect in large growth rates.

The study claims carbon emissions in China and India grew at 9.9 and 7.5 percent in 2011, respectively while the U.S. and European Union showed a decrease by 1.8 and 2.8 percent, respectively.

Bhushan, who was leaving for Doha to participate in the UN climate change talks, said “The reduction in growth rate of the U.S. and European Union is not because of efficiency but because of economic slowdown. India and China are two important economies which are showing growth; hence, their emissions are bound to increase.”

However, we must keep in mind that we have to become carbon-efficient while growing, Bhushan said.

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