Current Science

Rajiv Kumar Chaturvedi ¹

Affiliations
1 Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN

Abstract

In this note we have compared India's pledges (also called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, INDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with that of other major economies of the world. We find that despite being the most populous country in the world in 2030, India's greenhouse gas emissions under its INDC scenario will still be about a third compared to China. Further, we test India's INDC on the two well-regarded, but divergent approaches of emission reductions sharing between the nations and conclude it is consistent with more than 50% probability of limiting warming below 2°C under both the approaches, provided that other world regions adhere to their required emission reductions.

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N. H. Ravindranath ¹, Rajiv Kumar Chaturvedi ², Poornima Kumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN
2 Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN

Abstract

Implementation of the Paris Agreement would require transformative technologies, policies and measures to stabilize warming in the range 1.5-2°C. Operationalization of the Paris Agreement would necessitate large-scale estimation, monitoring, modelling, reporting and verification of GHG inventories, mitigation actions and their implications and co-benefits, along with reporting on climate change impacts and adaptation. This article highlights the need for research, modelling, monitoring, reporting and data requirements for India, keeping in mind the need for transparency, accuracy, completeness, consistency and comparability. Further, India will have to initiate largescale research and data generation for operationalization of the Paris Agreement.

Keywords

Climate Impacts, Forestry Sector, Mitigation Strategies, Vulnerability Assessment.

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Rajiv Kumar Chaturvedi ¹, N. H. Ravindranath ¹

Affiliations
1 Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, IN

Abstract

The world has already warmed by 0.8°C since the Industrial Revolution, mainly due to the large build-up of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. It is estimated that a further warming of about 0.6°C is built-in in the system due to the GHGs already present in the atmosphere. Even this modest warming is already impacting ecosystems, food production and freshwater sources across the world.

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Rajiv Kumar Chaturvedi ¹, Mitavachan Hiremath ¹

Affiliations
1 Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru-560 012, IN

Abstract

The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently projected that India is heading for the centre of the global energy stage as she is projected to contribute more than any other country to the rise in global energy demand over the next quarter century (up to 2040)1. Apart from the trade and market implications, India's increasing energy demand could have serious implications for local air pollution, freshwater availability, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to global sustainability, among others.

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Rajiv Kumar Chaturvedi ¹

Affiliations
1 Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN

Abstract

In a recent paper, Shearer et al. have argued that the future emissions from India’s coal plants would exceed the country’s climate commitments in the sector. They suggest that this would threaten the goal of limiting warming to below 1.5°C. The conclusions as presented in Shearer et al. are misleading. We demonstrate that they have projected an unlikely scenario, without exploring the more likely alternate scenarios proposed by India’s official new Draft National Electricity Plan.

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