India’s greenhouse gas output rose 64% between 2000 and 2010 but CO2 emissions per unit of GDP fell 12% after 2005, half the reductions it aims to achieve by 2020, according to the nation’s first Biennial Update Report to the UNFCCC.

The report, not yet published on the UNFCCC website, showed that India emitted 2.136 billion tonnes of CO2e in 2010 excluding LULUCF, representing an increase of 64% on 2000 levels, according to a statement by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Around 12% of those emissions were stored in forest sinks, taking India’s final emissions for 2010 to 1.884 billion tonnes.

“The emission intensity of GDP has reduced by 12% from 2005 to 2010, on course to meeting the voluntary target of 20-25% reduction in emission intensity of GDP by 2020,” Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in the report.

This was the first time India submitted its Biennial Update Report, and it will be subject to an international review process within the UNFCCC, along with other countries’ reports.

On a per capita basis, India’s 2010 emissions were 1.56 tonnes of CO2e, according to the report, less than a quarter of neighbouring China.

The energy sector, including transport, accounted for 71% of India’s GHG emissions. Agriculture contributed 18%, with industry at 8% and waste at 3% making up the remainder.

Last October, India released its post-2020 emission target, pledging to cut emission intensity 33-35% below 2005 levels by 2030, and said its combined mitigation and adaptation targets would require investments of some $2.5 trillion.

The mitigation target was described as “medium” by analysts Climate Action Tracker, who said India’s target to get 40% of its electricity from non-fossil sources in 2030 alone would lead to a bigger cut of 41.5% in emission intensity, more than the target aims for.

By Stian Reklev – stian@carbon-pulse.com

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