ABSTRACT
Carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector, excluding land use change and forestry, were estimated to be 508.6 million tonnes in 1990 and grew to 628.2 million tonnes in 1994. Based on the projected fossil fuel consumption growth rates, it is estimated that the carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion may increase to 948.1 million tonnes by the year 2000 and to 2,862 million tonnes by 2020. India is the world’s fifth largest carbon dioxide emitter but its per capita emission is very low. Nitrous oxide (N2O) has 310 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. The major source of N2O emissions in the country is traditional biomass burning contributing approximately 3.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 1990. Methane has twenty-one times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Methane emissions from the Indian energy sector are confined to fugitive emissions from fossil fuel mining and handling.
