What are greenhouse gases and CO2 equivalent (CO2e)?
Which gases warm the planet, how CO2 equivalent and global warming potential work, why reports use different GWP values, and where India's emissions come from.
Where do India's greenhouse gases come from?
India's First Biennial Transparency Report (BTR-1, MoEFCC) gives this mix for 2022, excluding land use and forests:
| Gas | Share of India's emissions, 2022 | Share in 2005 |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon dioxide | 78.9% | 69.1% |
| Methane | 14.8% | 22.9% |
| Nitrous oxide | 3.7% | 4.1% |
| Other gases (HFCs, PFCs, SF6) | 1.8% | 3.9% |
The carbon dioxide share has grown because energy use has grown fast. Methane is still important in India because of its very large livestock population and rice farming. In the 2020 inventory, methane from cattle digestion (enteric fermentation) was about 8% of national emissions and rice cultivation about 2%, while nitrous oxide from agricultural soils was about 3% (BUR-4, MoEFCC, December 2024).
HFCs are small today but are growing as more homes and offices buy air conditioners. India approved ratifying the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol in August 2021, committing to cut HFC use in steps of 10% by 2032, 20% by 2037, 30% by 2042 and 80% by 2047 (Union Cabinet decision, Press Information Bureau, 2021).
Sources: IPCC AR6 Working Group I, Summary for Policymakers (2021); IPCC AR6 Working Group I, Chapter 7: The Earth's Energy Budget, Climate Feedbacks and Climate Sensitivity (2021); IPCC AR6 Working Group III, Annex I: Glossary (2022); GHG Protocol, IPCC Global Warming Potential Values, Version 2.0 (August 2024); MoEFCC, India First Biennial Transparency Report (BTR-1) to the UNFCCC; MoEFCC, India Fourth Biennial Update Report (BUR-4), December 2024; UNFCCC Decision 18/CMA.1, Modalities, procedures and guidelines for the transparency framework; UNFCCC Decision 5/CMA.3, Guidance for operationalizing the modalities, procedures and guidelines for the enhanced transparency framework; Press Information Bureau / PM India: Cabinet approves ratification of Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol (August 2021); 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 2, Chapter 1
This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked by the GreenEye team against the sources shown in each section.
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