India is the fourth highest emitter of Carbon Dioxide: Study
India is the fourth highest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, accounting for 7% of global emissions in 2017, a study said yesterday. The top four emitters in 2017, which covered 58% of global emissions, were China (27%), the US (15%), the European Union (10%) and India (7%), according to the projection by Global Carbon Project. The rest of the world contributed 41%.
The other top 10: Russia, Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi
India's emissions look to continue their strong growth by an average of 6.3% in 2018, with growth across all fuels coal (7.1%), oil (2.9%) and gas (6.0%), the study said, adding Indian emissions were projected to grow 2% in 2017. After China, US, EU and India, the next few places have been taken by Russia, Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.
Emissions are expected to grow by 6.3% in 2018
The 7% projection was compared to 6% per year, averaged over the previous decade, due to significant government interventions in the economy. In India, emissions are expected to grow by a solid 6.3% in 2018, pushed by strong economic growth of around 8% per year.
Coal use is expected to grow in India and China
"Coal is still the mainstay of the Indian economy, and as in China, it'll be a challenge for solar and wind to displace coal, given the strong growth in energy use," the report said. It said that although global coal use is still 3% lower than its historical high, it's expected to grow in 2018, driven by growth in energy consumption in China, India.
'India can announce its own fossil-fuel exit strategy by 2020'
The study said that while China and India still rely heavily on coal, the US and EU are slowly decarbonizing. India can continue to deploy solar-farms, leveraging its leadership of the International Solar Alliance to displace coal and clean up its smog-choked cities. By 2020, India can announce its own fossil-fuel exit strategy and a target date for its peak CO2 emissions, it said.
China, India, European Union represent 40% of global carbon emissions
China, India and the European Union are also setting the pace and represent 40% of global carbon emissions. They are set to achieve more than what they agreed in the first round of Paris Agreement in 2015. Their leaders can step up and announce even bolder programs at the UN summit next September, to review the commitments made during Paris Agreement, the study said.
Emissions in rest of the world expected to grow too
The emissions in the rest of the world - the remaining 41% of global emissions - are expected to grow by 1.8% in 2018, the study stated. This group is of mainly developing countries and the five countries contributing most to the growth in this grouping in the last decade are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, and South Korea, it further said.
Emissions are projected to rise because of oil, gas use
The study warned that the global emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and industry are projected to rise for the second consecutive year in 2018, by more than 2% to a new record, mainly due to sustained growth in oil and gas use.
