Need for Separate Climate Change Law in India: A Comparative Analysis of Indian Climate Change Governance with France

Abstract

India, with a population of 1.2 billion people, is one of the world's fastest growing economies. India has committed itself to the rapid growth that is essential for economic and social development and poverty alleviation. While India's energy consumption and carbon emissions are only a small fraction of the world's total energy consumption and carbon emissions (less than 5 %), both are likely to grow rapidly due to structural changes in the Indian economy. India has revealed that electricity, cement and waste emissions have more than doubled since 1994, making India the fifth largest emitter in the world after 1994.[1]

Carbon mitigation in India is complicated because India has large coal reserves but limited gas and oil reserves, and most of India's carbon emissions result from the use of coal in the electricity and industrial sectors.[2] A growing population and rapid industrialization and urbanization, coupled with climate change, will create additional pressure on India's overall ecological and socio-economic system. India's per capita emissions, however, are about one ton per year, which contrasts sharply with the global average of four tons per year.  India is more dependent on coal as it has large reserves of coals than gas and oil.