India’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fell By 7.93% In 2020 Compared To 2019

India has achieved notable progress in dissociating its economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, realizing a 36% decrease in GDP emission intensity from 2005 to 2020. This advancement is in accordance with the country’s climate action objectives as outlined in the Paris Agreement.

Key Highlights:

• India’s initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have yielded positive results, with a reported decrease of 7.93 percent in emissions in 2020 compared to the prior year.

• Data provided to the United Nations climate change office indicates a significant reduction in the emission intensity of India’s GDP, which has declined by 36 percent from 2005 to 2020.

• The fourth Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) indicates that total national emissions in 2020 reached 2,959 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, not accounting for land use changes. Nevertheless, emissions have increased by 98.34 percent since 1994.

• India is progressing towards its climate objectives, with a target to lower GDP emission intensity by 45 percent by 2030 and to achieve 50 percent of its electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources.

• Given that a substantial portion of emissions originates from energy production, agriculture, and industry, India is actively working to decouple economic growth from emissions, striving to sustain its development while addressing environmental challenges.