Centre's report to the UNFCCC: India's greenhouse gas emissions fell 7.93%compared to 2019 in 2020

India's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fell 7.93% in 2020 compared to 2019, while its GDP emissions intensity fell 36% between 2005 and 2020, according to new data from the Centre's report to the UNFCCC (United Nations Conference on Climate Change). 

India submitted its fourth Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) to the UNFCCC on December 30, stating that India's total greenhouse gas emissions (excluding land use, land-use change, and forest area (LULUCF)) were 2,959 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) and including LULUCF, it was 2,437 MtCO2e. According to the report, 'Total national emissions (including LULUCF) decreased by 7.93% as of 2019 and increased by 98.34% since 1994.' India has consistently decoupled its economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions. India's GDP emissions intensity declined by 36% from 2005 to 2020.

Biennial update reports are submitted to the UNFCCC by developing countries every two years. These reports update greenhouse gas emissions, progress on climate actions, and the need for support. Emission intensity means the total greenhouse gas emissions per GDP unit. According to the report, the main drivers of India's total greenhouse gas emissions were: CO2 generated from burning fossil fuels, methane generated from livestock, and growing aluminum and cement production. The aluminum sector was not a net emitter in 2020.

Adding the total GHG emissions and removals, the net national GHG emissions of India in the year 2020 amount to 24,36,656 gigagrams of carbon dioxide equivalent (GgCO2e). The energy sector, at 75.66% is the highest contributor to the total emission load of this country, followed by the agriculture sector (13.72%), the industrial processes and product use (IPPU) (8.06%), and the waste sector (2.56%).

Accounting for 18% of the world's total population, India in 2022 had 25.4 gigajoules (GJ) primary energy consumption per capita against the then global average of 78 GJ per capita. In high-income countries, on average, a person consumed 119 GJ while the per-capita consumption in the US was 277 GJ, the report said. That meant India needed to expand its energy consumption by almost four times to meet its aspirational development goals.