assessment of ghg emissions in india

Kiran RadhakrishnanVineet Sharma

Assessment of GHG Emissions in India

Outline of PresentationIntroduction

Methodology

Inventory Assessment (CO2

, CH4

, N2

O, Aggregate)

Mitigation Flexibility

Conclusion

Introduction• A lot of regional variation exists in emissions –

estimation of magnitudes on a regional/site specific basis helps in framing more effective mitigation measures and a more accurate national estimate

• The paper aims to measure GHG emissions and sector wise contributions byestimating these values for the466 districts in India

• For each source category, andfor CO2, CH4 & N2O emissions,a district “rank list” was made

• Largest 25 emitter districts ineach source category termed“hot-spot” districts

MethodologySources considered for emission estimates:• Combustion of Coal • Oil Products and Natural Gas Combustion• Oil and Natural Gas

Extraction/Refining/Processing • Coal Mining • Transport (Road and Rail)• Electric Power Generation • Steel • Biomass Burning

MethodologyIndustrial sector emission sources: manufacturing of cement, brick and nitric acid;Agriculture sector sources: rice cultivation, livestock related emissions, use of nitrogen fertilizers and burning of crop residue;Waste sector: emissions from the land-fills and wastewater disposal

The sector identification of emission source categories is important since emission coefficients for non-CO2 gases are highly sector specific.

MethodologyTotal Emissions = DistrictsSourcesSectors

(Activity Level X Emission Coefficient)

Emission Coefficients are based on carbon content of fuels – specified within IPCC Guidelines

IPCC Tier I (for emissions from animal manure mgmt.) and Tier II (for emissions from enteric fermentation) methodologies are taken into account for estimation of methane emissions from livestock.

Methodology•Average default IPCC (1996) emission factors

have been applied to calculate the amount of non-CO2 greenhouse gases emitted from crop residues burnt in India. Wheat and rice straw residue – most non-CO2 emissions•MSW methane emissions - only urban is accounted for•Methane emissions from paddy fields – Asia’s largest – is of special concern. Emission factors are based on actual measurement in different paddy cultivation systems

Methodology•For CH4 emission from coal mining and

handling activities, coal production is multiplied with CH4 emission factor to arrive at the total CH4 emission•Coal mines categorised into three types based on the degrees of gasiness

Methodology•N2O emissions come mainly from burning of

fossil fuel, crop residue burnt, use of nitrogen fertilizers, livestock, biological N2 fixation, indirect emission from atmospheric depositing of NH3 and NOx

• IPCC default emission factors have been used except for emissions from nitric acid production. The emission factor for nitric acid depends on technology and operating conditions.

•The total CO2 emissions from the country due to anthropogenic activities have increased from 592 Tg in 1990 to 778 Tg in 1995•Coal – 73% of total emissions•UP, MP, AP, Maharashtra, TN – most coal consuming states – shows similar trend for CO2 emissions too•Electric power generation - almost half of India's CO2 emissions and majority of it comes from coal and lignite consumption. CO2 emission due to coal consumption in the electric power generation sector increased by 60% and in the industrial sector by 19% between 1990 and 1995.

Inventory Assessment CO2 emissions

•12 districts emitted more than 10 Tg CO2 each in 1990 and their number almost doubled in next 5 years. •Ten percent of total Indian districts contributed 67% of India's total CO2 emissions in 1995 indicating a high concentration of emissions


•South Arcot – increase in emissions due to setting up of Neyveli Power Plant•Delhi reduced emissions - decreased coal use•All India per capita CO2 emission were 0.7 tons in 1990 and increased to 0.84 tons in 1995


•Total methane emitted from the country increased from 17 Tg in 1990 to 18 Tg in 1995. •The national methane emission profile is agriculture dominant and is evenly spread across the country with the Gangetic plains and delta areas, coastal Maharashtra, TN and AP contributing most.•The average methane emissions per district were 0.04 Tg as compared to 1.67 Tg for CO2 in 1995. Even after weighing the methane emissions by a factor of 21 (methane's CO2 equivalent global warming potential), the average CH4 emissions are half of average CO2 emissions for Indian districts.

Inventory Assessment CH4 emissions

•The slower growth rates of CH4 emissions are due to predominance of agriculture- and livestock-related emissions in methane


•Total N2O emissions from India were 230Gg in 1990 and 260Gg in 1995, respectively, indicating a marginal growth.•The driving factor here is the use of synthetic fertilizer – agriculture – 90% emissions.

Inventory Assessment N2O emissions

•Emissions from agriculture sector are very dispersed - mitigation efforts required will be quite substantial as compared to those for CO2 and CH4.

•The N2O emissions have a more even spread than those for CO2 and CH4 due to agriculture dominance which is very well spread over India

Inventory Assessment N2O emissions

• In 1990 the contribution of CO2 to the total GHG emission was highest (58%), followed by CH4 (36%) and N2O (6%) – CO2 emissions increased to 61% in 1995• India’s emissions – only 2.7% of total emissions•25 Hotspot districts account for more than 37% of CO2 emissions•The total emissions data are important for global greenhouse effect; and per area (ton/km) emissions data provide a better picture for regional mitigation and impact assessments.

Inventory Assessment Aggregate emission analysis

Inventory Assessment Aggregate emission analysis

•60 large point sources (40 coal-based power plants, 5 large steel plants, and 15 cement industries) – very good opportunity for focusing mitigation efforts•Transport sector – 9.5% CO2e emissions widely dispersed – mitigation may not be cost effective – steps to improve fuel quality – improve local emission levels•Agriculture - ~29% contribution – widely dispersed – difficult to mitigate – better farming practices should continue

Mitigation Flexibility

•Operational improvements •Heat rate reduction•Better excess air control•Better maintenance•Reducing transmission/distribution losses

•Efficiency improvement measures in other energy-intensive industries•Capacity additions – cleaner tech. and not at existing locations

Mitigation Flexibility5% reduction in

India's CO2e GHG emissions

20% emission reduction from these

60 sources put together

•Composition of sectoral emissions didn’t change much over ‘90-’95•Electricity power generation, steel and cement sectors – largest emitters – high growth rates too. •Transport – does not contribute as much but still affects local pollution•Urban emission – industry and transport•Rural emission – agricultural sources• Indicates easier control of urban sources – more organised and focussed

Conclusion

•District wise emission data bridges uncertainties in emissions•Identifying demographic, economic and ecosystem variables and calculating source magnitudes at district level provides quantitative data necessary to develop sectoral and regional impact assessment – helps frame mitigation strategies - control of local pollution, energy and infrastructure plans, urban development and industrial location policies too.

Conclusion

•To gain attention of policy makers, greenhouse gas mitigation strategies have to be integrated with national development plans rather than compete with them for resources

Conclusion

assessment of ghg emissions in india

Technology