Bhubaneswar: The emissions intensity of India's gross domestic product (GDP), which reflects energy efficiency of its economic activities, reduced by 36 % between 2005 and 2020, according to the nations' 4th Biennial Update Report (BUR-4)  submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The report, which was submitted on December 30, 2024, is the latest update on India's inventory and efforts taken to curb emissions.

BUR-4, which was given as part of India's global commitment on climate change, updates the Third National Communication (TNC) and contains the National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory for the year 2020. The report also detailed sources of emissions, and status of targets spelt out on climate action along with information on India’s national circumstances, mitigation actions, analysis of the constraints, gaps, related finance, technology, and capacity-building needs.

While India’s emissions intensity of GDP reduced by 36% between 2005 and 2020, it commits to further reduce its GDP emission intensity by 45% compared to 2005 levels by 2030 as part of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) submitted under Paris agreement in 2015, and later updated in 2022.

GDP emission intensity refers to the reduction in the GHG emissions per unit of economic output.  Switching from fossil fuel to renewables and fossil fuel to electricity, are some of the examples of reducing emissions intensity while expanding economic activity. As per the report, main contributors to the total GHG emission are CO2 emissions generated from burning fossil fuels, methane emissions from livestock, and increasing aluminium and cement production. Though total national emissions (including land use, land-use change, and forestry) fell 7.93% in 2020 compared to 2019, it has increased by 98.34% since 1994, the report revealed. 

A breakdown of the emissions based on the GHGs revealed that CO2 accounted for 80.53% of emissions, followed by methane (13.32%), nitrous oxide (5.13%) and others 1.02%. Among sectoral contributions to emissions, energy sector ranked the highest at 75.66%, followed by the agriculture (13.72 %), Industrial Processes and Product Use (8.06 %), and Waste (2.56 %). In the energy sector, electricity production alone accounted for 39% of emissions.

With respect to India's achievements on NDC targets, it has progressively continued decoupling economic growth from GHG emissions. Its forest and tree cover has consistently increased and currently stands at 25.17% of the total geographical area of the country.  During 2005 to 2021, additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent has been created.  In 2020, India's forest and tree cover, along with other land use, sequestered approximately 522 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent to reducing 22% of the country's total carbon dioxide emissions in 2020.

The report further highlighted that by October 2024, the share of non-fossil sources in the installed electricity generation capacity was 46.52% and total installed capacity of renewable power has increased 4.5 times from 35 GW in March 2014 to 156.25 GW. 

As part of its global commitments, India has committed to achieve 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel resources by 2030. It has also committed to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. 

The Biennial Update Report or BUR is submitted by developing countries as part of their obligation under the Paris climate agreement, detailing their efforts towards climate action