Carbon Emissions decrease in India for the first time in 40 years
Carbon emissions in India decreased for the first time in 40 years. Researchers at the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said on Tuesday that the power consumption has been reduced due to the lockdown. Demand for fossil fuels has also come down due to increasing use of renewable energy.
According to researchers, this has changed the 37-year trend of carbon emissions in India. Since the beginning of 2019, the demand for thermal power in India has decreased. The country reduced carbon emissions by 15% in March. It is expected to reduce by 30% in April.
Reduction in power generation due to coal
Researchers say there has been a decrease in electricity usage in India after the lockdown. Due to this, the need for coal has also reduced. Coal power generation has come down by 15% in March and by 31% in the three weeks of April. At the same time, renewable energy demand grew 6.4% in March and decreased 1.4% in April.
CREA researchers say that demand for coal began to decrease even before the lockdown. During the financial year ending in March this year, coal sales were down 2%. It has declined by 10% since then. Imports have also come down by 27.5%.
8% reduction in worldwide coal consumption
According to data released in April by the International Energy Agency, worldwide coal consumption has decreased by 8%. At the same time, experts say that there will not always be a reduction in fossil fuel consumption. After the lockdown is lifted, thermal power consumption and carbon emissions will again increase.
There is a decrease in oil consumption in the country. Oil consumption declined by 18% in March compared to the previous year. Consumption grew by only 2% during the fiscal year, the slowest growth in 22 years. During this period, crude oil production also fell by 5.9% and refinery production by 1.1%.
There has been a slight decline in carbon emissions even before
Based on coal, oil and gas consumption data, researchers estimate that carbon emissions have fallen to 30 metric tons. The decline was also observed in India in 1970, 1974, 1980 and 1984. But compared to this year’s shortfall, it was minimal.
However, it is not clear whether the country will be able to sustain these environmental improvements after reopening. The US has also relaxed environmental regulations during the pandemic.
