India controls carbon emission growth; way less than China: Study

London, Dec 4: According to a new research which was published on Sunday has come up with its data which says India has managed to control carbon emissions in compared to other economies like China, the US and EU which were the biggest polluters during the year.

The research 'Global Carbon Project' from University of East Anglia in the UK shows China, United States and European Union contributed 28 percent, 16 percent and 11 percent in the global emissions during the year while Indian figures were at 7 percent despite a 7.5 percent growth during the year.

In terms of per capita emissions, India contributed 1.8 tonnes which is way behind developed economies like the United States, European Union and China which stood at 17.2 tonnes, 7.3 tonnes and 6.6 tonnes respectively, the results published in the journal Nature Climate Change and Earth System Science Data show.

Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General of Centre for Science and Environment said India's emissions are bound to increase because of the low base of emissions.

He said since our emissions are already very low, any change would reflect into large emission growth rates.

The study claims the carbon emissions in China and India grew at the rate of 9.9 and 7.5 percent in 2011 respectively while the US and European Union showed a decrease by 1.8 and 2.8 percent.

Bhushan said “the reduction in growth rate of the US and European Union is not because efficiency but because of economic slow down. India and China are two important economies which are showing growth, hence their emissions are bound to increase.”

However, we must keep in mind that we have to become carbon efficient while growing, Bhushan said.

Lead author of the study, Prof Corinne Le Quere, Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and professor at UEA, said in a statement, "these latest figures come amidst climate talks in Doha. But with emissions continuing to grow, it's as if no-one is listening to the entire scientific community, he said.

"Underlining the need for a "radical" plan to cut emissions, she said, "I am worried that the risks of dangerous climate change are too high."

The carbon emissions cause green house effect which keeps Earth's atmosphere warm. However, 20th century saw phenomenal increase in the carbon dioxide emissions which contributed to increase in global temperatures triggering fears of large scale climate change.

Scientists fear that increase in global temperature would melt the polar ice-caps resulting in increase in sea level which might sub-merge coastal cities, melt glaciers and bring global changes in weather patterns.

The latest results warn that global emissions are likely to increase by 2.6 percent in 2012 which would translate in 58 percent increase since 1990 when Kyoto Protocol of Carbon emissions was signed.

The protocol was initially adopted in 1997 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which set binding obligations on the developed and industrialised nations to cut down their emissions of carbon dioxide and other green house gases which contribute to increase in global temperature. It came into force in 2005.

The data published on Sunday warns that global Carbon dioxide emissions are likely to touch a record high of 35.6 billion tonnes.