Search

India is frequently portrayed as the fourth largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter globally, based on the current annual emissions of sovereign nation-states. Through a comprehensive review and assessment, this article argues that other metrics of country-wise emissions provide a more holistic and unbiased view. The article argues that ranking per se by any metric is of minor value unless also placed along the actual quantities. India's cumulative emissions (excluding LULUCF, 1850-2019) amount to only 4.31% of the global total, well behind the three leading emitters, the United States (22.46%), the European Union (16.06%) and China (13.45%). Therefore, in terms of annual emissions, the story of India as the fourth largest emitter is very mistaken, as the gap between us and the third is substantial. The article argues that national emissions must be judged by equity in mitigation and in the light of climate action being undertaken. On both grounds, India, relative to its responsibility and what equity demands, is doing far more than her fair share. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the challenges posed by climate change, particularly the rise in global average temperature and its implications, highlighting the need for intensified adaptation and mitigation efforts globally. It also emphasizes the significance of understanding the vulnerability scenario in the Indian Himalayan region and the initiatives taken under the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem to assess ecosystem health and formulate sustainable development strategies.

This study traces the development of watersheds in India based on the governing guidelines of the watershed programmes. We explore the changes and modifications in the watershed guidelines and categorize the developmental changes into six distinct yet interlinked phases. We observed that the watershed guidelines were fine-tuned with emerging challenges of land degradation, livelihood security, gender and social equity, climate change mitigation and adaptations. Recently, the focus of watersheds has shifted from production centric to income-centric by promoting enabling institutional settings. The experiences and learnings from India’s watershed programmes provide insights for other developing countries implementing such programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning to a net-zero world is one of the greatest challenges humanity may face across the world. Nonetheless, land-based carbon removal actions are vital to meet net-zero targets but involve significant trade-offs that may risk food security. The potential increase in demand for land in the near future for land-based climate mitigation methods across India could certainly threaten the right to land and food, especially for people and communities whose livelihoods depend on land. In the context of global efforts to address and combat the climate crisis and to improve food security, agroforestry is a sustainable land use with immense potential to achieve significant impact and synergy across priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the framework for evaluating India's net zero commitments.