India and China's Emissions Peak on Climate Cooperation: Promises, Progress and Prognosis

 

The chronicles of carbon emissions in developing countries like India and China have been a part of the news for a long time. The concerns regarding carbon emissions and economic growth have been challenging to neutralise its global impact. In the past years, the lack of mitigation policies for regulating coal emissions shared rapid economic growth. But, the future made India and China revisit the goals of CO2 Emissions peak and decline to zero. Take a brief view of the alterations both countries attempted for the same.

India’s & China’s share in Carbon Emissions

China and India adhere to mixed energy fuels i.e. non-fossil fuels and fossil fuels. China’s proportion of non-fossil fuel consumption is more than India’s in 2022.

Moreover, the change in China’s structural policy reflected its aim of declining coal dependence by moving from a Manufacturing and industry-driven economy to a domestic demand-driven economy.

Declining Effect on the Economy

The less use of coal in Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) countries amounts to the real concern of the price decline of coal. An example of this includes the ‘Coal Crash’ in the US, a primary argument for the declining economic growth. Later, the coal intensity in China showed a drop of 48% and India’s demonstrated a fall of nearly 18%. 

Shifting Carbon-Intensive Industries

China’s primary objective was to minimise the carbon intensity by the year 2040-45. However, this move towards a carbon-intensive economic structure experienced a flip, as it showed a 3% rise in carbon intensity. Keeping this scenario in mind, predictions were made for exporting carbon-intensive industries to other countries.

Uneven Cost of Decarbonisation

Developing countries like India and China aimed to untangle economic growth with carbon emissions. But this seemed less efficient in practice as it added considerable costs. The Katowice Committee of Experts under the UNFCCC marked that developing countries could potentially bear uneven costs of decarbonisation and its influence on climate alterations.

Alternatives for Minimising the Carbon Influence

OECD countries have recorded a low carbon-hydrogen ratio with the adoption of alternative fuel modes. This comprises swapping firewood for coal, oil, or gas. However, a bigger role was played by the service-oriented system.

In this, many OECD countries decarbonised by sending pollution-intended industries to other countries. The interim decline in carbon emissions came during the COVID era which revived with the removal of the restrictions.

A Clear Focus on Decarbonisation

The issue of decarbonisation and GDP are moving hand in hand. It becomes essential for developing and rich countries to balance them by revisiting their policies for economy and sustainability.

 

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