Facts and figures about India and climate change.
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INDIA’S CARBON FOOTPRINT AT A GLANCE
Country: Republic of India
Population: around 1.121 billion people in 2006 (2nd biggest worldwide)
Estimated annual CO2 emissions: 1.275 billion tons in 2003 (4th biggest worldwide, not including entire European Union)
10 FACTS ABOUT INDIA AND CLIMATE CHANGE
01. A one-meter rise in sea level could displace millions of people in India, a country with a coast line of several thousand miles.
02. The Gangotri glacier, the source of the River Ganges, is retreating at a speed of about 30 meters a year, with warming temperatures likely to increase the rate of melting.
03. Annual coal consumption in India has more than tripled since 1980.
04. According to research carried out at Oxford University, the total number of flood zone refugees in India alone could reach anywhere between 20 and 60 million. Sea level rises could also prompt an influx of millions of refugees from Bangladesh.
05. In July 2005, the eastern Indian state of Maharashtra was hit by the hardest monsoon rains ever recorded. Nearly a meter of rain fell in 24 hours, causing extreme flooding in Mumbai and elsewhere in the state.
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06. According to the World Bank, India’s carbon dioxide emissions have increased by 88 percent since 1990.
07. Per capita carbon dioxide emissions in India are relatively low. The average Indian is responsible for roughly six percent of the CO2 emitted by the average citizen from the United States.
08. On average, floods affect about 5,000 square kilometers of land and 4.2 million people in India each year.
09. The International Energy Agency expects Indian national energy consumption to more than double from 2002 levels by the year 2020, increasing from 116 to 252 Gigawatts.
10. According to Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy the renewable power capacity was around 8 Gigawatts at the end of March 20066, roughly 6.5 percent of the total power generation capacity.
Sources: World Bank, Government of India, Science and Development Network (SciDevNet), BBC, New York Times, International Energy Agency, Stanford University Energy and Sustainable Development Program
editor: Valdis Wish
publishing date: July 4, 2007
