Odisha’s CO2e emission will record 5-fold rise by 2050: NCAER study
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s per capita CO2e emission - carbon dioxide equivalent of having the same global warming potential as any other greenhouse gas - will record a five-fold rise in next two and half decades and the state will remain on a path of high emission in the ‘business-as-usual’ scenario unless corrective policy interventions are undertaken, a fresh study report released by Delhi-based National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) said.
In per capita terms, net emission from Odisha at 6.15 tonne CO2e per capita is higher than that of the national average of 2.24 tCO2e. And in the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, the per capita emission will rise to 6.69 tCO2e in 2030 and by 2050 it will reach 31.41 tCO2e, the study indicated.
The study titled ‘Challenges and policy implications of a low carbon pathway for Odisha - an integrated assessment modelling approach’ carried out by NCAER with support from researchers from NISER and the Celestial Earth stated though Odisha accounts for 3.47 per cent of India’s population, net GHG emission from Odisha stood at 9.3 pc of the country in 2018.
Citing the GHG Platform India 2022 report for Odisha, the study said overall emission in Odisha has increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.85 pc, from 102.73 tCO2e in 2005 to 274.54 tCO2e in 2018, giving a clear indication that lowering carbon footprint is essential for state’s development strategy.
The study projected that Odisha’s economy will record around 6 pc per annum growth over the model run period of 2022-2050 and the state will require a $467 billion investment in the base run in the energy sector from 2025 to 2050. This will be around 7.3 pc of cumulative SDP for the period 2025-50 in the state.
Accordingly, it has been suggested that understanding feasible policy choices and their financial implications on part of the government and policy makers is a must for adopting the correct policy interventions for the transition towards a low carbon pathway.
“Since Odisha has high coal deposits and presence of other minerals, the dependence on fossil fuel, despite projected reduction to a certain extent during the study period will continue to be high in the energy/fuel mix. The role of carbon capture and storage is a technology that Odisha needs to invest in. The investment in green hydrogen can also be explored since the state is endowed with large number of mines facilitating the growth energy-intensive industries in the state. The government needs to play a key role in effecting the change,” the report stated.
The report was released in the presence of energy secretary Vishal Dev, NCAER director general Poonam Gupta, director Prof HN Ghosh, director (budget) Satya Priya Rath, NISER DST head Prof Akhilesh Gupta, member of Atomic Energy Council RB Grover and SHSS chairperson Pranay Swain.
Findings
Net emission from Odisha at 6.15 tonne CO2e per capita is higher than that of the national average of 2.24 tCO2e
In business-as-usual scenario, the per capita emission will rise to 6.69 tCO2e in 2030
By 2050, it will reach 31.41 tCO2e in Odisha
Overall emission in Odisha increased at a CAGR of 7.85 pc