IAS & UPSC - Important Points Of Climate Change
Important Points Of Climate Change :
1. India's per capita energy consumption (2006
figures) question is at 51 kg oil equivalent compared to the world average of
1818 kg oil equivalent. China has a per capita energy consumption of 1433 kg
oil equivalent, which has been rapidly rising since 2002, and the US average of
7778 kg oil equivalent. The annual growth in India's per capita energy
consumption has been minimal.
2. India's submission to reduce the emission
intensity of its economy by 20 to 25 per cent by 2020 can he bettered through
these two options. India has already announced its national solar mission and
an enhanced energy efficiency mission is in the works.
Carbon Storage and Sequestration Potential of India’s Forests and Tree
Cover:-
1.India's Forest Cover accounts for 20.6% of the
total geographical area of the country as of 2005. In addition, Tree Cover
accounts for 2.8% of India’s geographical area2 .
2.Progressive national forestry legislations and
policies have transformed India's forests into a significant net sink of CO ,
From 1995 to 2005, the carbon stocks stored in our forests and trees have
increased from 6,245 million tones (mt) to 6,662 mt, registering an annual
increment of 38 mt of carbon or 138 mt of CO equivalent.
Mitigation Service by India's Forest and Tree Cover:-
1.Estimates show that the annual CO removals by
India's forest and tree cover is enough to neutralize 11.25% of India’s total
GHG emissions (C0 equivalent) at 1994 levels.
2.This is equivalent to offsetting 100% emissions
from all energy in residential and transport sectors; or 40% of total emissions
from the agriculture sector. Clearly, India's forest and tree cover is serving
as a major mode of carbon mitigation for India and the world.
Carbon Storage in the Future:-
1.India is one of the few developing countries in
the world that is making a net addition to its forest and tree cover over the
last two decades. Based on actual and projected trends of investments in the
forestry sector, we present three scenarios of the future carbon storage in the
forest and tree cover of India.
2.the carbon in India's forest and tree cover
decrease at the rate of the world average and the total carbon stored in
India's forests.
3.thecarbon in India's forests in years will
increase to 6,998 mt.
Forest Departments :
Forest deManagement of Forests (SMF) and A forestation and Reforestation
(A&R), additional resources like Forest Restitution Fund 5 with US$ 2.5b ,
a policy to include forestry related activities in the flagship employment
scheme of the country and introducing new forestry related schemes on components
such as capacity building in the forestry sector .
Value of Mitigation :
Putting a conservative value of US$ 5 per tonne of
CO locked in our forests; this huge sink of about 24,000 mt of CO is worth US$
120b, or Rs 6, 00,000 crores. Incremental carbon under scenario three will add
a value of around US$ 1.2b, or Rs 6,000 cores every year to India's treasury of
forest sink, assuming a value of US$ 7 per tonne.