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While the Global North is historically responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, Newly Industrializing Countries (NICs) are expected to overtake developed country emissions in the coming years. At the same time, NICs are climbing the ladder of the global economy, increasing their competitiveness on the global stage and catching up with technological competencies of developed economies. Against this background, this paper explores innovation and collaboration in Climate Change Mitigation Technologies (CCMTs) in NICs. The research question is whether the propensity to innovate and diffuse CCMTs is impacted by technological collaboration with two highly developed countries, Germany and The United States. The sample of NICs includes the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) plus Israel, Mexico, and Turkey, in a panel from 1995 to 2015. The empirical results suggest that collaboration with both Germany and the U.S. is highly significant for domestic CCMT innovation in NICs. These findings are important because, stepping beyond the literature on the merits and drawbacks of global climate governance tools such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and related UNFCCC processes, they show that collaboration for climate and environmental technologies could become a key tool to significantly improve the chances to stay in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. Finally, the policy advice for NICs and developing countries is to, above all else, focus on incubating strong technological innovation systems, including strengthening domestic Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), as well as to enhance technological collaboration with developed countries., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cement is a basic requirement of today's society and is the only thing that humans consume more volume than water, but cement manufacturing is the most energy- and emission-intensive process. Hence, the cement industry is currently under pressure to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions. Climate change mitigation strategies implemented in the industry leads to GHGs reduction, climate risks, pollutants, and another adverse impact on the environment. In order to implement climate change mitigation strategies in the cement industry, a careful analysis of barriers that hinder the emission reduction must be taken. However, most existing research on the barriers to mitigation measures is focused on developed countries. Among the most important emerging economies, India, the second-largest producer and consumer of cement, faces challenges to implement emission reduction measures. To bridge this gap, this paper identifies and evaluates the barriers and solutions to overcome these barriers in the context of India. This study employs a three-phase methodology based on fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to identify barriers and solutions to overcome these barriers to climate change mitigation strategies adoption in Indian cement industry. Fuzzy AHP is employed to prioritize these barriers, and to rank solutions of these barriers, Fuzzy TOPSIS is employed. Ten Indian cement manufacturing industry is taken to illustrate the proposed three-phase methodology. Finally, the result of the analysis offers an effective decision support tool to the Indian cement industry to eliminate and overcome barriers to mitigation strategies adoption and build their green image in the market.

The rise in green energies attempts to fulfil worldwide energy needs while substituting fossil fuels. It does, however, necessitate a vast amount of land. On the other hand, food security is jeopardized by the effects of climate change as well as an expanding population, particularly in India. As India strives for net-zero emissions by 2050, the integration of photovoltaics (PV) with agriculture has unlocked an emerging field known as agrivoltaics (AV). Agrivoltaics not only provides a long-term solution to the issue of land competition, but it also increases agricultural yields, conserves water resources, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. To evaluate the elements influencing the efficiency of AV, studies on revolutionary technologies connected to solar systems and the latest generation of photovoltaics are examined. This paper looks at agrivoltaics as a climate-conscious farming option with its advantages and disadvantages in India. This article also reviews AV plant designs and how varied intervals, altitude, and density affect shadowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands provide numerous ecological and economic services to mankind. The soils of wetlands are one of the largest sinks of carbon (C) among the terrestrial ecosystems and can play an important role in offsetting the emission of C as a greenhouse gas (GHG) to the atmosphere. India is bestowed with enriched wetland ecosystems that support diverse and unique habitats. The potential of the wetlands in terms of C capture and sequestration has not been quantified. Therefore, in the present paper, an assessment of C capture from different sources and its ultimate deposition in soils leading to sequestration has been done in three different types of wetlands, one created sewage-fed and two natural floodplain oxbow lakes, in the West Bengal state of India. Multiple seasonal sampling of water, macrophytes, and soil was done to assess the primary productivity, dissolved C, and deposition of C in soils of the wetlands in comparison to reference upland sites. All these wetlands are productive ecosystems as indicated by the physicochemical parameters of water and soil. The quantity of C accumulated up to 0.3 m depth in the oxbow lakes was to the tune of 144–166 Mg/ha, which was 3.43–4.78 times higher than that in the corresponding reference upland sites. In the sewage-fed wetland, the C accumulation estimated as 50 Mg/ha was 1.27 times higher than its corresponding upland site. So, the wetland ecosystems, particularly the floodplains, are highly efficient in accumulating C in their soils and thus can somewhat negate the GHG emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper forecasts the growth of freight transport emissions in India's trucking sector until 2050. We use the ARIMAX time series model to project the commercial vehicle population under various economic growth scenarios. CO 2 emissions are estimated using emission factors, distance traveled, and the projected commercial vehicle population. We use the validated forecasting model to investigate how emissions can be curbed through vehicle scrappage policies or fleet electrification to realign with the 2015 Paris Agreement's targets. Compared to the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, 10-year and 15-year vehicle scrappage policies are estimated to reduce freight emissions by 6–11% and 1–2%, respectively. Fleet electrification has more pronounced effects as it results in a 35% and 70% reduction in carbon emissions for heavy and light goods vehicles in 2050, respectively, compared to the BAU scenario. These findings provide crucial insights for devising policies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in India's trucking industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere along with the increasing temperatures exacerbate the situation, making it one of the major issues for food security. This research aims to explore the effects of climate change on food production in India. More specifically, this study investigates the impact of temperature, rainfall, CO2, methane, and N2O emissions and energy use on food production using a time spanning from 1990 to 2019 and explores the major critical factors impacting food production in India. The study used autoregressive distributed (ARDL) estimates for long-run and short-run cointegration. The empirical results demonstrated that energy use, rainfall, and methane emissions improve food productivity, whereas temperature and N2O emissions undermine food production in the long run and short run. However, the results revealed that CO2 emissions do not affect food production. Additionally, we used the dynamic ordinal least squared approach to verify the robustness of ARDL results. The results also demonstrate that N2O emissions and temperature are critical determinants of food production, indicating that a rise in temperature and N2O emissions significantly reduces food production in India. On the other hand, the findings show that methane emissions and rainfall significantly increase food production with a coefficient of 0.19 and 0.059, respectively. The most important adaptation strategies that should be considered due to climate change are reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding renewable energy investment, and adopting new technologies to combat environmental challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has elucidated that the uninterrupted emission of greenhouse gases has resulted in climate change posing the biggest existential threat to humanity. India, which stretches from the Himalayas to the fertile plains of Ganges to the long west and east coast, is experiencing an array of climate change impacts. India's vulnerability is closely tied to the region's geography, economy, and population patterns. Considering the colossal population, vulnerability, and gross GHG emission, the success of climate action in India will be a major contributory factor in the global response to climate change. India has played a proactive and prominent role in elucidating the position of developing nations in climate negotiation but has not enacted climate-specific legislation. As a consequence, the climate responses have been a continuum of policy actions, drawing on various provisions of the Indian Constitution, and existing environmental legislative provisions drawing on the various international environmental instruments to which India is a signatory. Forest management is a sector closely linked with climate change in terms of impacts and addressing climate change in India. The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets of India envisaged under the Paris Agreement reveal the weightage attached to forests in the climate change response. This paper attempts to capture the legislative framework governing climate change in India, focusing on the general environment protection laws and forest management. It also explores whether the legal framework operating in the forest sector is adequate to address the climate concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Physical, Regulatory and Brand value risks due to climate change challenges are foreseen by businesses globally. This paper is oriented towards these challenges and prepared a comprehensive Greenhouse gases (GHG) footprint plan and identification of mitigation opportunities for ONGC, a fortune 500 and national oil company of India. Internationally recognized standards and guidelines like Greenhouse Gas Protocol, ISO-14064, and American Petroleum Institute compendium have been referred for quantifying carbon emissions in nearly real 400 + operation control facilities. The GHG inventory is based on Operational Control approach to identify the boundary for which emissions are to be quantified and two significant scopes of emissions viz Direct Emissions and Indirect Emissions are identified and quantified. The quantification concluded that GHG emission footprint for the year 2016–17 is in the range of 9 million tons of CO 2 equivalent. GHG emissions mainly account due to stationary combustion, fugitive emissions and wastewater treatment, which share the around 56% of total emissions. Another 24–26% of emissions are contributed due to flaring, processes by glycol dehydrator, acid gas removal units, and by electricity purchased from the grid. As a result, it has been found that ONGC emits 187 kg CO 2 e emissions per tonne throughput and also compared with its global peer organizations. At the organization level, "Key Industrial Sites" have been identified as contributing higher GHG emissions and accordingly key "hot-spots," a list of 15 GHG mitigation opportunities have been proposed in the paper. Two GHG mitigation initiatives based on solar energy and bioenergy application undertaken at ONGC has also been briefed on case studies. Highlights • Comprehensive carbon footprint plan and identification of mitigation opportunities for Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), a fortune 500 and national oil company of India. • Guidelines like Greenhouse Gas Protocol, ISO-4064 and American Petroleum Institute compendium are referred for quantifying carbon emissions from direct and indirect sources. • Green policy, incentives and mandatory compliance. • CO2e emissions per tonne throughput and also compared with its peer global organisations. • Key hot-spots, with a list of 15 GHG mitigation opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is facing a crucial time as the impact of Climate change has now emerged as one of the major challenges for the world. The contribution of Government, public institutions, community, and businesses have now become more critical. As the energy sector has a significant impact on GHG emissions, it becomes imperative to find out the motivation behind sustainability disclosures. This study focuses on finding out the level of sustainability disclosures of top energy companies of India along with capturing the reason for disclosing the triple bottom line performance of the company. The paper has studied sustainability reports of the top 10 energy companies in India. The companies were chosen based on the market capitalization of the public listed companies in the energy sector of India. Using analysis, the study finds out that the depth of reporting on sustainability indicators with national & international sustainability frameworks of the selected companies to disclose their sustainability performance to the stakeholders. The research reveals that the top internal motivation for the companies is to disclose their social and environmental performance to the stakeholders while the top external motivation is to align their sustainability disclosures. The study also suggests that the major benefit that the companies have perceived from sustainability reporting is that they can now benchmark their sustainability performance with other companies in order to improve environment / social aspects. This means that the energy sector which plays an important role in climate change has started evaluating its social and environmental performance in a commitment to address sustainability issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this paper is to diagnose the impact of climate change with the analysis of its scenario, causes and its solutions in relation to energy sector. Initially, this paper discusses the scenario of climate change in India. Afterward, a comparative difference analysis of selected climatic variables is performed on the chosen areas and also determines the relationships among these variables. Both these objectives are performed by ANOVA, post-hoc, correlation and linear regression analysis. Subsequently, the forecasting of several climatic variables is performed from 2021 to 2025 by time series analysis utilizing the ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) model. Then, this paper investigates the interdependency scenario between the climate change and the electricity sector. Afterward, this paper discusses some major impacts of climate change on the electricity sector. Then, this paper presents the present electricity scenario of India and the renewable power potential of India. Subsequently, this paper suggests some open research challenges with recommendations for improving the energy sector of India. Results of this diagnoses analysis concludes that the climate change and energy sector are mutually connected, and the climate change impacts can be reduced with the improvement in energy sector using renewable energy. • A comparative difference analysis of selected climatic variables is performed on the chosen seven areas and also determines the relationships among these variables. • Forecasting of selected climatic variables is performed from 2021 to 2025 by time series analysis. • Interdependency scenario between the climate change and the electricity sector is analyzed. • Present electricity scenario of India and the renewable power potential of India are illustrated. • Open research challenges with recommendations are suggested for improving the energy sector of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Carbon footprint has become a term often used by the media in recent days. The human carbon footprint is professed to be a very serious global threat and every nation is looking at the possible options to reduce it since its consequences are alarming. A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact of human activities on earth and in particular on the environment; more specifically it relates to climate change and to the total amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide emitted. Effort of individuals in minimizing the carbon footprint is vital to save our planet. This article reports a study of the carbon footprint of various types of shopping bags (plastic, paper, non-woven and woven) using life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) technique in two stages. The first stage (baseline study), comprised the study of the impact of different types of shopping bags in the manufacturing phase, without considering their usage and disposal phases (cradle to gate stage). The LCIA was accomplished by the IPCC 2007 method, developed by the Inter Panel on Climate Change in SIMAPRO 7.2. The GWP (Global Warming Potential) values calculated by the IPCC 2007 method for 100 years were considered as a directive to compare the carbon footprint made by the different types of shopping bags under consideration. The next stage was the study of the carbon footprint of these bags including their usage and disposal phases (cradle to grave stage) and the results derived were compared with the results derived from the baseline study, which is the major focus of this research work. The values for usage and end-of-life phases were obtained from the survey questionnaire performed amongst different user groups of shopping bags in China, Hong Kong and India. The results show that the impact of different types of shopping bags in terms of their carbon footprint potential is very high if no usage and disposal options were provided. When the carbon footprint values from different disposal options were compared, the carbon footprint values were lower in the case where a higher percentage of reuse is preferred to recycling and disposing to landfill. The results indicate that a higher percentage of reuse could significantly scale down the carbon footprint. Once the shopping bags reached the point where they can no longer be reused, they must be forwarded to recycling options, rather than being disposed to landfill. At this juncture, consumer’s perceptions and behaviours in connection with the respective government’s policies in promoting & facilitating recycling systems could be critical in reducing the carbon footprint of various shopping bags. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The detection of possible changes in extreme climate events, in terms of the frequency, intensity as well as duration assumes profound importance on the local, regional, and national scales, due to the associated critical socioeconomic consequences. Therefore, an attempt ismade in this paper to evaluate various aspects of future projections of precipitation extremes over India, as projected by a state-of-art regional climatemodeling system, known as PRECIS (Providing REgional Climates for Impacts Studies) towards the end of the 21st century (that is, 2071-2100) using standardized indices. Study reveals that PRECIS simulations under scenarios of increasing greenhouse gas concentration and sulphate aerosols indicate marked increase in precipitation towards the end of the 21st century and is expected to increase throughout the year. However the changes in daily precipitation and the precipitation extremes during summer monsoon (June through September) season are prominent than during the rest of year. PRECIS simulations under both A2 and B2 scenarios indicate increase in frequency of heavy precipitation events and also enhancement in their intensity towards the end of the 21st century. Both A2 and B2 scenarios show similar patterns of projected changes in the precipitation extremes towards the end of the 21st century. However, the magnitudes of changes in B2 scenario are on the lower side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will consider the distributional impact of climate change on developed and developing countries and, in particular, flag the potential for climate change policies to negate development objectives for the poorest countries. Developing countries, such as China, India, Brazil and Mexico, are essential participants to the success of any global campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is in this context that future policies involving both mitigation and adaptive strategies must incorporate measures to assist with alleviating poverty and thus enhance the ability of developing countries address broader sustainability issues. The article concludes with some suggestions for managing the risks through institutional reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expansion of irrigated land can cause local cooling of daytime temperatures by up to several degrees Celsius. Here the authors compare the expected cooling associated with rates of irrigation expansion in developing countries for historical (1961–2000) and future (2000–30) periods with climate model predictions of temperature changes from other forcings, most notably increased atmospheric greenhouse gas levels, over the same periods. Indirect effects of irrigation on climate, via methane production in paddy rice systems, were not considered. In regions of rapid irrigation growth over the past 40 yr, such as northwestern India and northeastern China, irrigation’s expected cooling effects have been similar in magnitude to climate model predictions of warming from greenhouse gases. A masking effect of irrigation can therefore explain the lack of significant increases in observed growing season maximum temperatures in these regions and the apparent discrepancy between observations and climate model simulations. Projections of irrigation for 2000–30 indicate a slowing of expansion rates, and therefore cooling from irrigation expansion over this time period will very likely be smaller than in recent decades. At the same time, warming from greenhouse gases will likely accelerate, and irrigation will play a relatively smaller role in agricultural climate trends. In many irrigated regions, therefore, temperature projections from climate models, which generally ignore irrigation, may be more accurate in predicting future temperature trends than their performance in reproducing past observed trends in irrigated regions would suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What drives the development of climate policy? Brazil, China, and India have all changed their climate policies since 2000, and single-case analyses of climate policymaking have found that all three countries have had climate coalitions working to promote climate policies. To what extent have such advocacy coalitions been able to influence national policies for climate-change mitigation, and what can explain this? Employing a new approach that combines the advocacy coalition framework (ACF) with insights from comparative environmental politics and the literature on policy windows, this paper identifies why external parameters like political economy and institutional structures are crucial for explaining the climate advocacy coalitions’ ability to seize policy windows and influence policy development. We find that the coalitions adjust their policy strategies to the influence-opportunity structures in each political context—resulting in confrontation in Brazil, cooperation in China, and a complementary role in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban transportation is viewed as the second leading source of carbon dioxide emissions. The growing number of vehicles and road infrastructure-based supply in Indian cities is viewed as the essential driver of climate change and relevant consequences affecting the sustainability of cities. In this study, sustainable transport measures were analyzed to understand the emission mitigation potential of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region's transport sector in Karnataka, India. Relevant policies were identified under the planning, regulatory, economic, and technological instruments and grouped under four policy bundles. The mitigation potential of the policy bundles was quantitatively evaluated in terms of vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT), exhaust emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions. The study also estimated the carbon emission intensity and consumer surplus for different mode users across all policy bundles. The findings from this showed that Policy bundle 4, a comprehensive mix of various policies, demonstrated a critical decrease in VKT and emissions compared with the other policy bundles and, thus, provided good scientific decision support for transport policymakers. The study helps Bengaluru's transport planning authorities in designing comprehensive mobility plans in a much more sophisticated way. The inclusion of public participation in the planning process helps improve sustainability. The consumer surplus provides a better understanding of social benefits derived from the policies, and emissions intensity estimates help understand whether the emissions have decoupled from the economic growth. The study also presents that public transportation plays a major role in solving congestion problems. Thus, it helps the planning authorities to prioritize their investments to make cities more liveable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate change is posing unprecedented challenges for the society in general and the farming community in particular, the world over. Large ruminants including buffaloes are generally considered as large contributors to greenhouse emissions and therefore playing a significant role in climate change. Buffaloes producing more than half of India's milk with significantly lesser population (only 36.66% of total bovine population) form the backbone of the Indian dairy farming. This livestock species is reportedly contributing 3.73 Tg of methane annually which is about 40% of the total livestock methane emissions. Uttar Pradesh is the highest methane emitting state adding roughly 15% to India's methane emissions. Further, the states of Haryana and Punjab have more than 60% of their livestock in form of buffaloes and so are the major contributors of methane in these states. Owing to it, higher feed efficiency and higher value of produce (milk and meat mainly), buffaloes are preferred by the farmers in India-a fact proved by significant growth with increase of ∼18% expected in buffalo population by 2023. The body structures of buffaloes make them quite susceptible to adverse effects of weather vagaries. As India is already short of feed and fodder resources for the livestock, the perceived climate change era poses many challenges for this species to improve productivity in a climate resilient and sustainable manner. This paper analysis the buffalo farming in important milk producing states of India vis-a-vis climate change considerations for the benefit of policy makers and researchers to take appropriate mitigation and adaptive measures for making buffalo farming climate resilient and environment friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an approach for modelling and mapping fluvial flooding, considering both land use/land cover (LULC) change and climate change, and applies it to the Brahmani River Basin in eastern India. Climate change projections were obtained from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6), and their impacts on the hydrology of the catchment were investigated using HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS software. Results reveal that changes in LULC types, specifically an increase in proportions of agricultural and built-up areas and a decrease in forest cover, as undergone between years 1985 and 2018, have increased peak discharge following a storm, thereby causing an increase in spatial extent of floods of different return periods. Moreover, downscaled climate change scenarios from two General Circulation Models were used to determine potential changes in river discharge according to two GHG emission scenarios from the latest IPCC: SSP245 and SSP585. The projections indicate that peak discharge and the spatial extent of flooded areas will increase for floods with return periods ranging from two to 100 years. This study demonstrates the important influence that changes in LULC have had on the susceptibility of the BRB to flooding, with climate change projected to further enhance the risk of flooding as the century progresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing concern for the environment has raised the need for green computing, which calls for the responsible use of electronic devices and safe disposal/recycling of e-waste. The aim of this study is to find out the level of awareness and the adoption of green computing in India. Descriptive research was undertaken on the basis of primary data, which were collected from 250 Indian respondents using a structured questionnaire. Results of the study show a low level of awareness about green computing among the respondents and a moderate level of effort by them for judicious use of electronic devices and their safe disposal/recycling. The paper offers fresh insights into the relatively slow pace of green computing practices in India and the new ways and means to accelerate them for creating a safer environment. • People are aware about the harmful effects of the indiscriminate use of electronic/digital devices. • Perceptions of males and females are homogenous with respect to various objectives for adopting green computing. • People who are aware of the benefits of green computing are making efforts to contain irrational use of electronic devices. • They are also making efforts to reduce power consumption and emission of greenhouse gases to mitigate climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A few decades ago, hydroelectric projects were considered a clean source of energy. The present study aims to assess the biomass and soil carbon (C) stock in the hydroelectric catchment in India and further, its implications to mitigate GHG emissions. The estimation depicts the low 'C' stock in the reservoir's catchment in comparison to reservoirs located globally in the same eco-region which will ultimately result in lower GHG emission in the future. Moreover, estimated total carbon density of the forest species was found as 54.92 ± 18.07 MgC.ha−1 while mean SOC was 79.64 ± 19.32 MgC.ha−1. The average total 'C' stock of Tehri hydroelectric reservoir's catchment was estimated as 134.56 MgC.ha−1. Moreover, ratios (total flooded carbon/installed capacity) comprised between 4 and304 kgC/W from the other reservoirs reported globally. These ratios are higher than the Tehri reservoir (0.28 kgC/W) as flooded area of Tehri reservoir during impoundment was 52 km2. Thus, Tehri reservoir was found to emit less GHG in time to come. The present study helps the hydropower industries, policymakers, and environmentalists in designing the catchment area treatment plan to minimize the negative impact of GHG on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: India is facing great challenges in its economic development due to the impact on climate change. Energy is the important driver of economy. At present Indian energy sector is dominated by fossil fuel. Due to international pressure for green house gas reduction in atmosphere there is a need of clean energy supply for energy security and sustainable development. The nuclear energy is a sustainable solution in this context to overcome the environmental problem due to fossil fuel electricity generation. This paper examines the implications of penetration of nuclear energy in Indian power sector. Four scenarios, including base case scenario, have been developed using MARKAL energy modeling software for Indian power sector. The least-cost solution of energy mix has been measured. The result shows that more than 50% of the electricity market will be captured by nuclear energy in the year 2045. This ambitious goal can be expected to be achieved due to Indo-US nuclear deal. The advanced nuclear energy with conservation potential scenario shows that huge amounts of CO2 can be reduced in the year 2045 with respect to the business as usual scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural soil acts as a source and sink of important greenhouse gases (GHGs) like methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Rice paddies have been a major concern to scientific community, because they produce the threatening and long-lasting GHGs mainly CH4 and N2O. Around 30% and 11% of global agricultural CH4 and N2O, respectively, emitted from rice fields. Thus, it is urgent to concurrently quantify the fluxes of CH4 and N2O to improve understanding of both the gases from rice fields and to develop mitigation strategies for upcoming climate change reduction. An effort is being made in this review to discuss exclusively the emission of CH4 and N2O under normal and controlled conditions in different locations of India and also addresses the current synthesis of available data on how field and crop management activities influence CH4 and N2O emissions in rice fields. Making changes to conventional crop management regimes could have a significant impact on reducing GHG emissions from rice field. Environmental and agricultural factors related to soil could be easily altered by management practices. So, knowing the mechanism of CH4 and N2O production and release in the rice field and factors controlling the emissions is fundamental to develop well-organized strategies to reduce emissions from rice cultivated soil. This will help the regulatory bodies or policy makers to formulate adequate policies for agricultural farmers to refine the GHG emissions as well as minimize the global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overlap in sources of greenhouse gas and local air pollutant emissions creates scope for policy measures to limit global warming and improve air quality simultaneously. In a first step, we derive estimates for the air pollution mortality-related component of the social cost of atmospheric release for 6 pollutants and 56 regions in the world. Combining these estimates with emission inventory data highlights that sector contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution health impacts differ widely across regions. Next, simulations of future emission pathways consistent with the 2 °C and 1.5 °C targets illustrate that strengthening climate policy ambition raises the total value of air quality co-benefits despite lower marginal co-benefits per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions abated. Finally, we use results from a multi-model ensemble to quantify and compare the value of health-related ambient air quality co-benefits of climate policy across sectors and regions. On the global level, overall air quality co-benefits range from $8 to $40 per tonne of greenhouse gases abated in 2030, with median across models and scenarios of $18/tCO2e. These results mask strong differentiation across regions and sectors, with median co-benefits from mitigation in the residential and service sectors in India exceeding $500/tCO2e. By taking a sector- and region-specific perspective, the results presented here reveal promising channels to improve human health outcomes and to ratchet up greenhouse gas reduction efforts to bridge the gap between countries' pledges and the global targets of the Paris Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nexus of gender-agriculture-emissions reduction is one of the least explored areas related to agriculture and climate change. This nexus plays an important role in the areas where women's participation in agriculture is high, and the contribution of the agricultural sector to total emission is significant. This study generates evidence on women's labor contribution in rice cultivation and potential reduction of their labor drudgery, including GHG mitigation co-benefits with the adoption of direct seeding and machine transplanting technologies. Using a large number of plot-level data (11,987 data points) from the rice-growing regions of India, the study shows that changing rice production technology from conventional to direct-seeded rice (DSR) and/or machine-transplanted rice (MTR) offers huge potential to reduce women's labor in rice planting (745 million labor-days for DSR and 610 million labor-days for MTR) and greenhouse gases (GHG) emission (34 MtCO2e for DSR and 7 MtCO2e for MTR) at the same time. This potential differs from the agro-ecological region, the level of input use, and women's involvement in rice cultivation. The realization of this gender-responsive GHG mitigation strategy depends on the adoption of these technologies, which rely on several social, economic, and political factors. At the same time, the immense potential for negative implications for some specific groups should not be ignored, but focused on addressing and mitigating those challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization, industrialization and human population explosion not only increased the global power demand, but also led to global warming, pollution and climate change. This encouraged production of power from renewable sources, and thus, hydropower development has been focused. Today, there is more than 1300 GW of installed hydropower across the world, and most of the hydroelectric projects (HEPs) are multi-purpose which includes irrigation, flood and drought mitigation and tourism. Although credited as cheap, clean and green, recent studies demonstrate that the reservoirs of HEPs produce enormous quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). A large number of estimates on the amount of GHGs from HEPs are available from across the globe. India is next only to USA and China in terms of number of large dams, and thousands of new dams are being planned or constructed, especially in the northeastern part. However, none of these projects have been analyzed in terms of production of GHGs, which is an essential prerequisite for developing such projects and to determine whether carbon emission reduction credits can be accorded or not. The present study was conducted to determine greenness of some of the HEPs of Northeast India in terms of emission of GHGs, and eligibility of the projects for carbon emission reduction credits. Further, the emission of different GHGs through various processes from the Tipaimukh HEP (Manipur) was estimated. In view of the findings, we have provided recommendations, which may be helpful in decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than a decade climate change has been the focus of much research and analysis. Despite the global implications of the problem, the overwhelming majority of the researchers involved worldwide in studying the problem and its possible solutions are from industrialized countries, and participation of lesser-industrialized countries has been limited. While the wide-ranging implications of this South-North divide are sometimes recognized, there is little analysis on the reasons for this divide, why it continues to exist, and what steps might be required to narrow it. Towards this end, this paper analyzes how climate change research and analysis is performed in India, a major lesser-industrialized country. Based on detailed interviews, it explores the factors that play a role in shaping the capability of India to perform, and respond to, climate-change analyses. Drawing on the Indian case study, the paper examines developing-country participation inthe international climate science and assessment enterprise. This allows some reflection on the potential pitfalls for international discussions on climate change and what the international community and countries of the South can do to overcome them in order to address thisconspicuous South-North divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, the globally accepted threats caused by environmental degradation are soil degradation and desertification, pollution, droughts, floods and water scarcity. The study was conducted in two districts of Haryana state namely, Hisar and Kaithal and a total number of one hundred twenty women were selected and interviewed with the help of well structured schedule. The study revealed that majority of the women were of middle age group (36-50 years), educated up to higher education, belonged to nuclear family with 4 members, performed government, private jobs and self employment. Very serious losses due to environment degradation were air pollutant effect on human health, animals and plants (1.47), deeper level of ground water table leads to irrigation scarcity (1.35), quality deterioration of crop produce and fertilizers cause toxicity in food products (1.23), lost of biodiversity and tropical forest, extinction of plant and animal species (0.41) as per their 'Z' score. Least smoky trees should be planted and used, Baval, Neem, Pipal, Bargad, Shisham, Aam, Jamun (94.16%), Installing chimneys to rent smoke from indoor stoves (90.83%) Storage and disposal of farm wastes properly (79.16%), Campaigning for healthy environment (74.16%), enhancing the area under agro and social forestry (69.16), empowerment of women for different development programs (66.66%) were found very effective among the women to making the environment healthy. To reach the results the aggregate total score was calculated to each alternative measure separately, and on the basis of calculated total score, a weighted mean score were obtained which were ranked according to the maximum or minimum mean scores for assessing the effectiveness of alternative measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian summer monsoon rainfall was examined in two different greenhouse gas emission scenarios: the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES; B1) and a similar greenhouse gas scenario, the new representative concentration pathways (RCPs; RCP4.5). The rainfall change in the climate model projections through remotely induced changes in precipitation processes and through changes in precipitation efficiency processes was discussed. To that end, two model setups were applied: 1) the regional climate model (RCM) Consortium for Small-Scale Modelling in Climate Mode (COSMO-CLM), nested in the global climate model (GCM) ECHAM5/Max Planck Institute ocean model (ECHAM5/MPIOM), applying the greenhouse gas scenario B1; and 2) the RCM nested in a newer version of the GCM, ECHAM6/MPIOM, incorporating the RCP4.5 scenario. Both GCM simulations showed a slight increase in precipitation over central India toward the end of the twenty-first century. This slight increase was the result of two largely compensating changes: increase of remotely induced precipitation and decrease of precipitation efficiency. The RCM with the scenario RCP4.5 followed this trend, but with smaller changes. However, the RCM with B1 showed a decreasing trend in precipitation because of a slightly larger absolute change of the reduced precipitation efficiency compared to the change caused by the remote processes. Changes of these processes in the scenario simulations were larger than the natural variability, as simulated in an unperturbed preindustrial greenhouse gas control (CTL) climate simulation. Results indicated that the projection of the Indian summer monsoon rainfall is still a key challenge for both the GCM and the RCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2015 has marked a shift in stand for the world's largest and third largest (in aggregate terms) greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters -- China and India -- on the future of the global climate change negotiations. While China agreed for the first time to peak its carbon emissions by 2030, India evaded such commitments but vowed to "set the agenda" for the upcoming Paris Summit (COP-21). The two countries have shared a common platform (that of the BASIC countries) at the climate change negotiations since the Copenhagen Summit (COP-15) in 2009 but have since then developed divergent positions on many issues in subsequent years. In this context, the article compares and contrasts the approaches and strategies of India and China towards the Paris Summit, especially using the outcomes of U.S. President Barack Obama's meetings with the two countries' top leadership. It analyses the significance of geopolitics in the climate change negotiations and how the two countries have manoeuvred their geopolitical ties with key players like the EU and G-77. The article argues that despite this shift in stand and diverging positions, they are likely to stand together when it comes to issues such as equity and finance. It also proposes that the two emerging Asian giants have the potential of strengthening bilateral ties to advance climate goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research on the agricultural impacts of climate change has primarily focused on the roles of temperature and precipitation. These studies show that India has already been negatively affected by recent climate trends. However, anthropogenic climate changes are a result of both global emissions of long-lived greenhouse gases (LLGHGs) and other short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs). Two potent SLCPs, tropospheric ozone and black carbon, have direct effects on crop yields beyond their indirect effects through climate; emissions of black carbon and ozone precursors have risen dramatically in India over the past three decades. Here, to our knowledge for the first time, we present results of the combined effects of climate change and the direct effects of SLCPs on wheat and rice yields in India from 1980 to 2010. Our statistical model suggests that, averaged over India, yields in 2010 were up to 36% lower for wheat than they otherwise would have been, absent climate and pollutant emissions trends, with some densely populated states experiencing 50% relative yield losses. [Our point estimates for rice (-20%) are similarly large, but not statistically significant.] Upper-bound estimates suggest that an overwhelming fraction (90%) of these losses is due to the direct effects of SLCPs. Gains from addressing regional air pollution could thus counter expected future yield losses resulting from direct climate change effects of LLGHGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attempt is made in the present study to analyse observed and model simulated temperature extremes over Indian region. Daily maximum and minimum temperature data at 121 well-distributed stations for the period 1970-2003 have been used to study the observed changes in objectively defined values of temperature extremes. In addition, an assessment of future scenarios of temperature extremes associated with increase in the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases is done using simulations of a state-of-the-art regional climate modelling system known as PRECIS (Providing Regional Climate for Impact Studies) performed to generate the climate for the present (1961-1990) and future projections for the period 2071-2100. Observational analysis done with 121 stations suggests the widespread warming through increase in intensity and frequency of hot events and also with decrease in frequency of cold events. More than 75% stations show decreasing trend in number of cold events and about 70% stations show increasing trend in hot events. Percentage of stations towards the warming through intensity indices of highest maximum temperature, lowest minimum temperature is 78 and 71% stations, respectively. Remaining stations show opposite trends, however, most of them are statistically insignificant. Observational analysis for India as a whole also shows similar results. Composite anomalies for monthly temperature extremes over two equal parts of the data period show increase (decrease) in the frequency of hot (cold) events for all months. In general, PRECIS simulations under both A2 and B2 scenarios indicate increase (decrease) in hot (cold) extremes towards the end of twenty-first century. Both show similar patterns, but the B2 scenario shows slightly lower magnitudes of the projected changes. Temperatures are likely to increase in entire calendar year, but the changes in winter season are expected to be prominent. Diurnal temperature range is expected to decrease in winter (JF) and pre-monsoon (MAM) months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Global policies and instruments to tackle climate change look very different once translated into domestic programmes of action, reflecting varied institutional capacity, competing priorities, and diverse political cultures and political economies. In light of these variations, this article analyses how clean energy is governed in India, both through and beyond the Clean Development Mechanism. Governance processes are assessed across a number of scales, including various actors involved in mobilising finance and providing political and institutional support for clean energy. The nature of these relationships ultimately determines the nature of the relationship between policy goals such as energy security, alleviation of energy poverty and greenhouse gas emission reductions. Understanding these governance dimensions is therefore critical to assessing prospects for low carbon energy transitions in rapidly industrialising countries such as India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing energy demand in buildings with a 40% global share and 30% greenhouse gas emissions has accounted for climate change and a consequent crisis encouraging improvement of building energy efficiency to achieve the combined benefit of energy, economy, and environment. For an efficient system, the optimization of different design control strategies such as building space load, occupancy, lighting, and HVAC becomes inevitable. Therefore, interdisciplinary teamwork of developers, designers, architects, and consumers to deliver a high-performance building becomes essential. This review aims to endorse the importance of Building Performance Simulation in the pre-design phase along with the challenges faced during its adaptation to implementation. A morphology chart is structured to showcase the improvement in Building Energy Efficiency by implementing Building Performance Simulation for different building energy systems and by implementing various energy efficiency strategies to achieve the 3E benefit. As a developing nation, India still lacks mass application of Building Performance Simulation tools for improving Building Energy Efficiency due to improper channelizing or implementation; thus, this framework will enable the designers, architects, researchers to contemplate variable building energy optimization scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]