Shravya Reddy's Blog: Solving Global Warming

Increasing Transparency: India Releases GHG Inventory

2010-05-14T20:25:03Z

Earlier this week, India released a report on India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, 2007. This was the long anticipated first comprehensive inventory of India’s GHG emissions since 1994, and was a significant step in upholding the transparency provisions that countries agreed upon at Copenhagen. In publishing this report, India became the first developing country to release such recent numbers. This is important since the uncertainty about when key developing countries would report on their emissions was a major issue of contention at the Copenhagen Climate Summit, and India has now effectively addressed these concerns.

The key findings of the report include:

Net Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from India in 2007, including LULUCF, were 1727.71 million tons of CO2 equivalent (eq) of which CO2 emissions were 1221.76 million tons, CH4 emissions were 20.56 million tons; and N2O emissions were 0.24 million tons.
GHG emissions from Energy, Industry, Agriculture, and Waste sectors constituted 58%, 22%, 17% and 3% of the net CO2 eq emissions respectively.
The energy sector emitted 1100.06 million tons of CO2 eq, of which 719.31 million tons of CO2 eq were emitted from electricity generation and 142.04 million tons of CO2 eq from the transport sector.
The industrial sector emitted 412.55 million tons of CO2 eq.

In terms of what this means for India’s GHG trajectory, the report was interpreted differently by different audiences, resulting in very distinct headlines the next day. The Hindu, one of India’s most highly regarded publications, ran a story titled “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fell by 30% during 1994-2007”. The BBC News Service ran a story under the heading “Steep Rise in India Greenhouse Gas Emissions”, stating that the report indicated a nearly 60% rise in emissions between 1994 and 2007.

So, who was right? The BBC claim was based on the numbers in India’s report, which records that “The total GHG emissions without LULUCF (Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry) have grown from 1251.95 million tons in 1994 to 1904.73 million tons in 2007.” Thus, it was accurate (the percentage increase is 58 percent). The Hindu, on the other hand, chose to highlight in the body of the article that the 30% decline was in India’s emissions intensity of GDP between 1994 and 2007. Had it clarified in its headline that it was referring to emissions intensity, any resulting confusion would have been averted.

The 30% fall in energy intensity per unit GDP is indeed accurate, commendable, and it is an important factor that the government report justifiably highlighted. It demonstrates that India is on its way to achieving its Copenhagen Accord target of reducing emissions intensity by 20 to 25 percent from 2005 levels by the year 2020.

On the whole, the report shows that while India continues to work towards reducing its emissions intensity, if the total emissions continue to rise at the present rates, it is well on its way to soon becoming the world’s third largest emitter.

India’s report is also an example for other countries in order to increase transparency and accountability for measuring and reporting emissions. Having timely and transparent data on India’s emissions will help the Indian government, policymakers, and public make informed decisions about how to drive both domestic and international action to fight climate change. And it will provide confidence to the rest of the world that Indian is moving in the right direction. It is a win-win that India should be commended for producing.

Looking Back - My Week of Environmentally Responsible Living

2009-11-06T17:46:46Z

No Impact Week is long over, but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to blog and record my experiences during the last few days of the effort. Things got seriously busy, but here I am, back in action now, and I thought I'd finish the No Impact Week series off with a few quick notes on energy (Day 5) and water (Day 6), and try to sum up some of the successes and failures from my experiment.

In terms of energy, I did a few high-impact things: I replaced two incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs. The average CFL lasts about 5 years, and reduces carbon emissions by approximately 693 pounds of CO2e during its lifetime. According to EnergyStar, if every American home replaced one regular lightbulb with a CFL, this is the equivalent of taking 2 million cars off the road, or planting 2.85 million acres of trees. If you're about to say '..but what about the Mercury?"...don't say it! There is actually less mercury in a CFL bulb than there is in a thermometer...barely enough to cover the tip of a ball point pen. But do educate yourself about the mercury content, proper disposal and recycling of the bulbs - see what NRDC's expert scientists have to say about this.

Heating and cooling account for about 56% of a household's energy usage. So I decided to reduce the temperature on my thermostat from where it is usually at, 74°F, to 68°F. If the numbers widely available from various environmental groups are to be believed (NRDC is currently working to calculate the most credible, accurate numbers), then for every two degrees of temperature lowered on the thermostat, one saves 2000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. So, for my six degrees, is that 6000 pounds? Sweet.

My least successful energy-reducing initiative was to take shorter showers. I know I succeeded on some occasions, but not others. Water heating actually accounts for between 14%-25% of a household's energy costs, so this is a significant area for reductions. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends fixing one's water heater's temperature at 120°F instead of the standard, pre-set 140°F. The difference in water temperature is imperceptible, but this 20°F reduction can account for about 500 pounds of carbon a year. But was I able to make this reduction? No. Because my heater was already set at 120°F! If yours isn't, please do it right now! Is your water heater warm to the touch? Then that means you need to insulate it further, which could in turn save about a 1000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. This could be done with a cheap insulation blanket available in almost every hardware store! Find out how to insulate the heater with the blanket on the Department of Energy's website, and save money on you heating bill too. Want to know more about next-generation efficient water heaters? Check out Lane Burt's blog post here.

In terms of water usage, the best way to save some water (for someone like me who can't save water from a dishwasher or washing machine, because I don't own those) is to install a low-flow showerhead, which can save up to 350 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year. But my showerhead is already pretty low-flow, so I decided not to pursue this action. Ultimately, I just tried to remind myself to use less water every time I had to wash dishes or clean up. But this is one big area where I wish I had tried harder to do more, somehow.

What did I do best during no impact week? Probably monitor my diet and keep the carbon footprint of my meals very low. My goal was to be vegan all week, and I basically succeeded. Umm.... Except for one little slip up that I will now cop to. I mistakenly ate some ice cream, completely forgetting in that instant that I was supposed to avoid dairy products!! Yes, I know it sounds unbelievable that I "forgot", but there's no other explanation. In that one, tiny instant of gluttonous desire, I just stone cold forgot I was supposed to be vegan.

(Or make that 'Cold Stone' forgot? See a very guilty me below - caught red handed!).

Later on, I tried to redeem myself by doing what I should have remembered to do the first time - eat dairy-free ice cream. After all, one doesn't have to give ice cream up!

So, my week was largely a success on the transport, diet, energy, and trash fronts, but I was left dissatisfied on the water issue. Of course, I could always try to do more, like ride a bike instead of taking the train, use even less energy by modifying my refrigerator settings, turning my thermostat and water heater down further and bundling up in more woolens, trying a bucket-cleanse occasionally instead of showers, and using absolutely no substance that can't be recycled. And I am realizing that there were so many super-simple actions I could have taken that I didn't - just check out the inspiring Minute, Morning, Month section of Simple Steps, which has handy hints on what each of us can do, even in the shortest span of time - a single minute! Just as cool is the "This or That" section, which answers some of the questions we've all grappled with while making purchasing choices. If one has to buy something, might as well make the most sustainable choice! I bet some of these answers will surprise you - check them out. (For instance, turns out I should have bought a two liter plastic bottle of soda for No Impact Week, instead of a six-pack of aluminum cans!).

Guess what? I have a chance to do this all over again, and improve my record, based on all I learned that week in addition to the new tips I am finding everyday. NRDC and the No Impact Project are hosting a "Carbon Cleanse Week", from November 15th to the 21st. Are you game to try this, and give it your best shot? Join me!

The Indian Monsoon and the Economy: how a changing climate could turn the waltz into a danse macabre

2009-06-29T18:54:53Z

The Indian monsoon was late by more than two weeks this year, and steadily decreasing rainfall estimates for the rest of the season have raised the specter of drought in India for the first time since 2002. In mid-June, water levels in India's 81 major reservoirs were at 10% of their usual capacity. Even after the monsoon finally arrived, the unsteady rains that fell intermittently on India's West Coast were 51% below normal for first-week rains, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

When the monsoon failed in 2002, economic growth slumped to 4%, highlighting the direct impact of monsoon rains on the economy. This year, the economy is once again beginning to show tremors, even early in the season. Moody's has already sounded the alert by forecasting that the delay in the monsoon would cause India's economic growth to suffer "significantly", albeit not "catastrophically". Indian shares erased gains as much as 1.1% and turned negative last Thursday, June 25, after the Indian government acknowledged that the delay will indeed affect food production this year. Predictions are being made that the delay might already have caused India's GDP growth rate this year to slip by 1 to 1.5 percentage points, and unless the monsoon demonstrates a significant revival in the next few months, GDP growth could slip as low as 5% this year, from the current 7%.

India's Chief Statistician Pronab Sen recently told media persons that the delay will affect crop output adversely. While the delay will have immediate and apparent effects in the farm business, which constitutes 18% of India's GDP, there will also be spillover effects in other sectors. Up to 70% of Indians depend on farm incomes, and 60% of India's farms depend on rains for irrigation. According to Moody's economist Sherman Chan, a slump in agricultural output will hurt the income of many businesses and households, especially the 742 million people who live in the countryside. This will in turn weigh on business investment and household consumption, thus service-related sectors may also feel a bit of the squeeze caused by the monsoon problem.

Food prices in India are already high this year, and reduced crop yields, especially for food crops, will raise prices higher still. Consumer prices paid by farm and rural workers rose 10.21% in May from a year earlier, after gaining 9.09% in the previous month. In a signal indicating how serious the situation may be, the Central Government is already stepping up preparations such as increasing the supply of drought-resistant varieties of seeds.

This is a decidedly worrying state of affairs, but even more so when one takes into account the dire predictions of how climate change will impact the Indian monsoon in coming years. While there is no evidence that climate change is the direct cause of the delay in the monsoon this year (El Nino effects are being cited as the primary reason), the impact of climate change on the Indian monsoon should still be a cause for concern, given how recent research indicates that El Nino occurrences could become more frequent and intense with global warming, as a result of more heat being trapped in the Pacific. Even divorced from El Nino effects, rising temperatures pose a significant threat to the Indian monsoon. The IPCC's fourth assessment report lays out how a rise in global average temperatures will cause more variability in the monsoon, leading initially to both an increase in precipitation in some areas, as well as a decrease in others, causing a rise in both floods and droughts. The predictions state that eventually the monsoon will bring less rain, over fewer parts of the country, with the rain concentrated in short but intense bursts. Due to more rainwater runoff, there will be a decrease in groundwater aquifers, leading to widespread water shortages for irrigation and human consumption.

Does India have to resign itself to a rise in extreme and anomalous weather events? And how difficult and expensive will it be for the country to continue adapting to the consequences of a changing climate - be it an errant monsoon, flash floods, widespread droughts, fall in agricultural productivity, higher food prices, food shortages, a rise in vector-borne diseases, higher temperature-related mortality and morbidity etc? Perhaps, spurred by the economic impact from the vagaries of the Monsoon this year, policymakers in India will not only assess all adaptation options, but will take a fresh look at nationally appropriate mitigation actions too, while there is still time.

India: 12% Growth in Renewable Energy Investment

2009-06-09T21:26:31Z

A report launched this week by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) indicates very impressive trends for India's renewable energy sector. According to the report, 'Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2009', India's renewable energy investment grew by 12% in 2008. With an investment of $3.7 billion in just a single year, India's renewable energy sector appears well on its way to meeting the ambitious target set by the Indian Government in the 11th Five Year Plan. The plan aims for the sector to grow to $19 billion from 2008 to 2012, with renewables making up 20% of the 70,000 MW of total additional energy planned from 2008-2012.

This is extremely positive news, and bolsters India's global leadership in the transition to clean, renewable energy. Renewables (including hydro) already account for 34% of India's current Installed Power Capacity (if nuclear power is included, then 37% of India's current Installed Power Capacity is "clean"). India is currently ranked fifth in the world in terms of its wind power generation.

The investment in solar energy grew from $18 million in 2007 to $347 million in 2008. The investment in small hydro projects grew about four-fold to $543 million in 2008. The growth in biofuels fell by 80% from $251 million in 2007 to $49 million in 2008.

This type of growth is not new to this sector; India has been actively increasing its strength in renewable energy over the past many years. From 2002 to 2007, there was 3,075 MW of renewable grid-tied power planned, but the actual capacity addition exceeded 6,000 MW by 2006. A large share of this was the result of exceptional growth of wind energy in India. Wind energy is expected to add more than 10,000 MW of additional capacity by 2012, followed by small hydro (1,400 MW), co-generation (1,200 MW) and biomass (500 MW). Plans to scale up India's solar capacity through the National Solar Mission are also on the anvil.

We are all watching with interest as some of the world's most ambitious renewable energy projects roll out in India, and come on-line over the next few years. Just two of these examples include the Suzlon wind farm in Dhule, India, which when completed in 2010 will be the world's largest wind farm (already, its installed capacity is 650 MW, and its final capacity is slated to be 1000 MW) and the Acme Solar Thermal Power Plant in Haryana, India, which will be completed in 2019, and have an installed capacity of 1000 MW.

So, what's going to be next in India?

India - Attention to Climate Change is Need of the Hour

2009-06-05T19:49:49Z

What better day to start this blog than on World Environment Day (June 5th)! To paraphrase an old adage, "Every Day is Environment Day" for us environmentalists, but a day like today is nevertheless significant, as it provides an opportunity to renew our commitment towards safeguarding the earth. Like any anniversary, it is a moment to look back not only at everything that has been achieved and learnt, but also things that may not be regarded as successes, yet have helped the environmental movement grow and strengthen.

Sitting here in New York, a million miles away from my home country, I can tell what the US and the rest of the world are doing about World Environment Day, but I wonder - what is happening in India right now? If at all they are observing this occasion, how are they doing it? I'm excited to see that there have been awareness marches in Delhi, as well as other small events across the country, organized by NGOs, private companies, educational institutions and government entities.

In particular, I am intrigued because this year's theme for World Environment Day is "Your Planet Needs You - Unite to Combat Climate Change". This is a very complex issue for a country like India, which has to balance the need for economic growth and development, with the need to ensure that this development is sustainable and that its resource-use is responsible (also see Jacob Scherr's blog about climate-sustainable development linkages with poverty in India). India faces the tremendous task of alleviating poverty for millions - getting its citizens access to electricity, water, basic healthcare and education. 487.2 million Indians live without electricity, more than the entire population of the United States. 14% of Indians do not have access to any improved water source, amounting to 154 million people, more than all of the US Midwest, US Northeast and California combined. Over 53% of Indian children under the age of 5 do not have access to any basic healthcare, and 34% of Indians have still never had any primary education.

India plans to face all these challenges head-on, but also make sure this is not at the cost of climate change-induced environmental catastrophe. India is well aware that the IPCC identifies the Indian subcontinent as being one of the regions to be worst affected by the impacts of climate change. A study by India's National Institute of Oceanography concluded that there is already evidence of mean sea level rise, and that there would be a significant increase in storm surges. A related study by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology found that there would be disruptions in the hydrological cycle, with more floods as well as increased droughts, decrease in ground water aquifers in parts of the country, as well as change in rainfall patters. As part of the same set of studies, the Indian Agriculture Research Institute released findings about reduction in crop yields that would have significant impact on food security, especially for staple foods like rice and wheat. In terms of health impacts, investigations by India's National Physical Laboratory demonstrated that there would be a definite spread of mosquito-endemic regions, with a higher incidence of vector borne diseases like Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya, as well as a rise in temperature-related mortality and morbidity. Just yesterday, a compilation of recent scientific research on the Indian monsoon indicated that this essential weather system would undergo severe disruption. And most alarming of all is the steady stream of research that has left very little doubt about the melting of Himalayan glaciers at a rapid rate, creating frightening scenarios where most of India's main rivers will first unleash deadly floods, and then eventually dry up.

These messages have sunk in, and Indian leadership has clearly identified climate change as a key challenge to address. Last year, spurred by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India released its National Action Plan on Climate Change. More recently, India indicated a slightly more open and positive approach towards negotiations in Copenhagen, and just yesterday, President Pratibha Patil reiterated that the government is proactively tackling the issue of climate change. We hope that this momentum will be kept up in the months to come, and that we will see India take on a leadership position on the world stage on this issue.

India is on the cusp of a critical period of immense economic growth and expansion, but this cusp could well be the environmental point of no-return. There is a fear in some quarters that in its haste to achieve material prosperity of the kind that is enjoyed in the West, India may turn a blind eye towards environmental concerns. However, I believe that if it capitalizes on the benefits of being a late-starter, it can learn from the mistakes of the West and avoid taking the same costly path. This is a period when resources are being reallocated and priorities reevaluated, and thus is an unprecedented opportunity for environmentalists to step in and influence decision-makers. NRDC's India team is hoping to do just that through our new US-India Initiative on Climate Change and Energy, by working with key partners both in India and the US to maximize this opportunity. We believe that the road to economic prosperity should be paved with environmental sustainability, and that the need of the hour is for both the US and India to work together on one of the most time-sensitive and important pieces of the sustainable development mosaic - climate change.