India’s Contribution to Global Warming

• 30 Mar 2023

According to a recent study, India ranks fifth in national contribution to global warming, with a responsibility for 0.08 degrees Celsius of warming from the 1850s through 2021.

• The study calculates national contributions to warming due to greenhouse gases such as CO2, CH4, and N2O since the 1850s.
• India’s emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) from 1851-2021 have resulted in 0.04°C, 0.03°C, and 0.006°C of global warming over pre-industrial levels, respectively.
• Overall, India ranks fifth among the top 10 contributors to warming.
• The contribution of India, China, and Brazil towards warming due to CH4 and N2O increased by 110%, 56%, and 55%, respectively, compared to CO2-related warming alone.
• The United States topped the list of countries, with a contribution of 0.28°C (17.3%) of rise in temperature, followed by China, Russia, Brazil, and India.
• Tracking national contributions to climate change can help understand the burden of responsibility carried by each country.
• The researchers highlighted that CH4 and N2O emissions are more uncertain than that of fossil CO2.
• The cause of warming also varies, with the land-use and forestry sector being a significant contributor in half the countries.
• CO2 emissions from land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) in Brazil led to 0.04°C of warming.