The Hindu : New Delhi News : The richest emit 4.5 times more carbon dioxide: report

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 14, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

The richest emit 4.5 times more carbon dioxide: report

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The highest income group in India, constituting merely 1 per cent of the population, emits 4.5 times as much carbon dioxide (CO{-2}) as the lowest income group consisting 38 per cent of the population, according to a latest report released by Greenpeace here on Tuesday.

“Hiding behind the Poor” also demands that common but differentiated responsibility for carbon dioxide emission reduction, which the government is justifiably advocating at a global level, be implemented in India.

With less than a month to go for the United Nations Climate Change Council conference in Bali, the report challenges India’s hard line of not committing itself to green house gases reduction on grounds of development and makes an argument about why India must de-carbonise its development.

Releasing the report, G. Ananthapadmanabhan, executive director, Greenpeace, said: “While the government continues to point at low average per capita emissions to justify non-reduction of India’s carbon dioxide emissions, over 150 million Indians are emitting above the sustainable limit that needs to be maintained to restrict global temperature rise below two degrees centigrade. India’s low average per capita emission is due to the over 800 million poor population whose emissions are negligible and the difference in emissions between the highest and the lowest income groups in India is almost as glaring as the difference in the average per capita emissions between the European Union and India,” he said.

The report is based on face-to-face surveys of 819 households from seven different income classes across the four metros, medium and small towns and rural areas for energy consumption patterns. According to the report, the average CO{-2} emissions of an individual from the highest income group of above Rs. 30,000 a month (1494 kg) is 4.5 times that of one from the lowest income group of below Rs. 3,000 a month (335 kg).

As high as 14 per cent of the Indian population, which earns more than Rs. 8,000 a month contributes to 24 per cent of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions. The carbon intensity of the life-style of higher income groups is primarily due to an inefficient and carbon intensive infrastructure ranging from coal based electricity production to the large scale use of inefficient household appliances and cars due to the lack of mandatory minimum efficiency standards. The lack of efficient public transport systems in cities and that of fast train connections between cities adds to the carbon intensity of the lifestyles of income groups who can afford private transport.

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