India recorded an increase of nearly six per cent of carbon dioxide emissions during 2009 as a result of “strong economic performance” despite global slowdown, a study said on Sunday.
The results published in the journal Nature Geoscience also warned that global levels of the green house gas — one of the major factor for increase in planet’s temperatures — may reach record levels during 2010. The researchers say during the year 2009, global levels of carbon dioxide dipped 1.3 per cent below the record 2008 which was just half the decline predicted. Western countries which are the biggest contributors to the carbon emissions showed a decline in their emissions because of the economic slowdown where as “strong economic performance” by emerging economies like China and India despite the global phenomenon saw an increase in their emissions, the study says. According to World Bank, India’s per capita carbon dioxide emissions in 2007 were just 1.4 metric tonnes which is nearly 18 times lesser than the US and nearly eight times lesser than UK.
“UK emissions were 8.6 per cent lower in 2009 than in 2008. Similar figures apply to USA, Japan, France, Germany, and most other industrialised nations,” a statement said.
The researchers say India’s emissions increased by 6.2 per cent while Chinese emissions of the green house gas increased by eight per cent during. The study attributes increased reliance of economies on coal and fossil fuels which are the major sources of carbon dioxide. “The 2009 drop in carbon dioxide emissions is less than half that anticipated a year ago. This is because the drop in world GDP was less than anticipated and the carbon intensity of world GDP, which is the amount of carbon dioxide released per unit of GDP, improved by only 0.7 per cent in 2009 — well below its long-term average of 1.7 per cent per year,” said Pierre Friedlingstein, lead author of the study.