Page 3 - Emissions

Nitrous oxide emissions grew 40% in 40 yrs, China largest emitter: Study

Planet-warming nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions grew by 40 per cent between 1980 and 2020, with China being the largest emitter, followed by India and the US, according to a new report. The study by the Global Carbon Project, a network of climate scientists, also said that 74 per cent of the nitrous oxide emissions in the past decade came from the use of nitrogen fertilizers and animal manure in agriculture. The top 10 emitters are China, India, the US, Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Australia, Indonesia, Turkey, and Canada, it said. Nitrous oxide is the third most significant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and methane and is 273 times more potent than CO2 over 100 years. The increase in greenhouse gases has already raised the Earth's average surface temperature by 1.15 degrees Celsius compared to the 1850-1900 average. Anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions contribute to about 0.1 degrees of this warming. In 2022, the concentration of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere reached 336 parts

World hits streak of record temperatures as UN warns of 'climate hell'

The average global temperature for the 12-month period to the end of May was 1.63 degrees Celsius (2.9 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial average

China plans CO2 emission cuts in key industries by 1% of 2023 level

The plan said China would 'strictly' control coal consumption, 'reasonably' control petroleum consumption and promote use of biofuel and sustainable aviation fuel

Ford Motor backs new US rules to cut vehicle emissions through 2032

Earlier, a trade group representing General Motors, Toyota Motor, Volkswagen, Ford and nearly all other major automakers on Monday said it supported two key aspects of the rule

Fuelling change? M&M may consider hybrid tech shift if demand arises

Automaker puts EVs and ICE in the driver's seat amid hybrid emission concerns

Buildings sector will exceed country's entire GHG emissions budget

Emissions from India's buildings sector between 2020 and 2070 are projected to reach 90.85 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in the business-as-usual scenario, exceeding the carbon budget allocated for the entire country, according to a report released on Monday. The countries are striving to achieve net-zero emissions (a balance between greenhouse gases emitted and removed from the atmosphere) to limit the rise in global average temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius and prevent further worsening of climate impacts. Becoming a net-zero economy is particularly challenging for India as it must achieve the dual goals of fulfilling developmental aspirations and curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6) estimated the remaining global carbon budget (from 2020 onwards) for a 50 percent chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius to be 500 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent. According to Climat

Global carbon markets value hits record $949 bn in 2023, shows data

The world's most valuable carbon market, the EU's ETS, was worth around 770 billion euros last year, up 2% from the previous year and representing 87% of the global total

TotalEnergies, ONGC join forces to detect, measure methane emissions

TotalEnergies and state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) have signed a cooperation agreement to carry out detection and measurement of methane from the Indian firm's operations using the French company's pioneering technology. ONGC is aiming to curb emission of methane, a greenhouse gas, from its oil and gas operations as part of its decarbonisation drive. It will now use TotalEnergies' pioneer AUSEA (Airborne Ultralight Spectrometer for Environmental Applications) technology to detect and measure methane emissions, the two firms said in a statement. The Cooperation Agreement was signed by Sangkaran Ratnam, Country Chair of TotalEnergies in India and Sushma Rawat, Director (Exploration), ONGC on the sidelines of India Energy Week. "ONGC has been inviting international technology partners to help reduce its methane emissions in India by 2030, while TotalEnergies has decided to share its AUSEA technology in an effort to pivot the whole industry towards zero methane emissi

Solar panels on rooftops along Delhi-Meerut RRTS to cut emissions: NCRTC

The NCRTC is installing solar panels on rooftop spaces along the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS, which is expected to yield 12.5 million units of solar energy and reduce 11,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, officials said on Saturday. A solar capacity of about three MW has already been installed over the platform sheds of RRTS stations at Sahibabad, Guldhar, Duhai, Duhai Depot station and Duhai workshop of the priority section, which will be able to meet the auxiliary load requirement of these locations, they said. "The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is poised to install about 11 megawatt of solar capacity over its rooftop spaces along the 82 km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor. This initiative is expected to yield 12.5 million units of solar energy annually and a reduction of 11,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually," an official said. Further solar power plants will be installed at the remaining stations of

Zero-emission cars can tackle air pollution, cut oil imports: Tata Motors

Only zero emission cars can contribute towards a reduction in air pollution, cutting burgeoning fuel imports and attaining net zero targets, according to Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Managing Director Shailesh Chandra. Amid demands from a certain section of the industry to cut taxes levied on hybrid cars, Chandra said that such vehicles do not align with the key national objectives of achieving net carbon-zero target, improving air quality levels, and reducing fossil fuel imports. He noted that hybrid and CNG technologies in cars help in improving fuel efficiency and meeting emission-related regulatory compliances but cannot be compared with pure battery electric vehicles. In an interaction with PTI, Chandra said that the government already supports hybrid vehicles in terms of lower taxation and there is no need to bring those at par with electric vehicles. He noted that hybrid cars cannot be compared with EVs as they essentially run on polluting "fossil fuel". Chandra said that

European Commission to back 90% emissions cut for 2040 climate target

The European Union is drafting its first 2040 climate target, to bridge the gap between its existing goals to cut net emissions 55% by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050

Deloitte India unveils initiative to cut emissions attributed to software

Deloitte India on Wednesday unveiled an Enterprise Conscious Code initiative for sustainable, inclusive, and accessible software development that aims to cut up to 30 per cent of the emissions attributed to software alone. Launching the Code here on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024, Deloitte India said this initiative marks a significant leap towards sustainable and responsible software development, supporting global efforts to reduce carbon footprint, increase energy consciousness, and ensure accessibility for everyone. "The Enterprise Conscious Code (ECC) combines everything a company needs - the triple Ps of the bottom line - people, planet, and profits," it said. The Code offers ways to build eco-friendly software, promoting the use of techniques that contribute to a greener planet. Currently, about 3 per cent of the world's carbon emissions are attributed to the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, equivalent to roughly 1.58 bill

Why climate efforts fail to cut emissions

Technological limitations and policy inconsistencies pose a formidable challenge

What is carbon capture and why does it keep coming up at COP28 summit?

The future of fossil fuels is at the centre of the United Nations climate summit in Dubai, where many activists, experts and nations are calling for an agreement to phase out the oil, gas and coal responsible for warming the planet. On the other side: energy companies and oil-rich nations with plans to keep drilling well into the future. In the background of those discussions are carbon capture and carbon removal, technologies most, if not all, producers are counting on to meet their pledges to get to net-zero emissions. Sceptics worry the technology is being oversold to allow the industry to maintain the status quo. The industry needs to commit to genuinely helping the world meet its energy needs and climate goals which means letting go of the illusion that implausibly large amounts of carbon capture are the solution, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol said before the start of talks. WHAT EXACTLY IS CARBON CAPTURE? Lots of industrial facilities like ...

Can't compare India & nations with high per capita emissions: European Parl

Clubbing India with emitters like China and the US is completely unacceptable as its per capita emissions are "very low", a senior official of the European Parliament said on Saturday. Talking to PTI at the UN climate talks here, Peter Liese, a German politician and a member of the European Parliament, emphasised: "Indian people should be able to own a car when people in Germany own two cars." There have been concerted attempts to club India with major emitters like the US at climate negotiations despite its low per capita emissions. "It is very important to acknowledge for everybody that per capita emissions of the UAE, China and the US... they are very different from India. "Many people in Europe put China and India in the same basket and sometimes even with the Gulf states which is completely unacceptable. India has very low per capita emissions compared to these countries," he said. India's per capita carbon dioxide emissions rose by around five per cent last year to reach 2 .

India's per capita emissions less than half of global average: Report

India's per capita carbon dioxide emissions rose by around five per cent in 2022 to reach 2 tonnes but these were still less than half of the global average, according to a report released here on Tuesday. According to the Global Carbon Project, a group of international scientists, the United States topped the per capita emissions chart with every individual in the country emitting 14.9 tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide), followed by Russia (11.4), Japan (8.5), China (8), and the European Union (6.2). The global average stood at 4.7 tonnes. The US is also the biggest CO2 emitter since the Industrial Revolution. Over the entire period 18502022, the US' cumulative emissions amounted to 115 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (Gt C) (24 per cent of the world total), the EU's to 80 Gt C (17 per cent) and China's to 70 Gt C (15 per cent). India has emitted 15 Gt C since 1850 which is just 3 per cent of the world's total. The data provided by the Global Carbon Project shows India's per capita ...

Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels to rise 1.1% to hit peak in 2023

The planet is on track to exceed its carbon budget for 1.5C of warming around 2030, and the budget for 1.7C in 15 years, according to the group's Global Carbon Budget annual report

World Bank Chief Banga hails COP28 momentum as climate pledges mount

World leaders spent the first three days at the climate conference unveiling a string of announcements from cutting methane emissions to ramping up the flow of money to poorer countries

India needs to flag misconception that trade add to carbon emissions: GTRI

This is a complete misconception that exports and imports contribute significantly to global carbon emissions and India needs to flag this issue in the discussions on global trade and climate change in Dubai, think tank GTRI said on Sunday. On December 4, United Nations climate change conference COP28 in Dubai is dedicating a day to explore the relationship between global trade and climate change. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the co-lead of the Trade Day event. The primary goal is to nudge governments worldwide to integrate climate-friendly measures into their national trade policies, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said in its report. Other potential topics of discussions include green trade policies, the role of renewable energy in trade, and carbon pricing strategies, it added. "India must highlight the misconception that trade significantly contributes to global emissions. It must be corrected as trade-related activities account for only about 3 per cent of

GDP emission intensity reduced by 33% between 2005 and 2019: Govt report

India reduced its GDP emission intensity by 33 per cent between 2005 and 2019, achieving the target 11 years in advance, according to a government report. The report also said India's GDP grew at a cumulative annual growth rate of 7 per cent but its emissions rose by only 4 per cent per year during this period, suggesting that the country has been successful in decoupling its economic growth from planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The report called 'The Third National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change' will be submitted to the UN climate change body during the ongoing climate talks in Dubai, officials said. National communications contain information on a country's greenhouse gas emissions, its vulnerability to climate change, and the measures any country is taking to mitigate emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that India reduced its GDP emission intensity by 33 per cent betw