India's per capita emission 70% below world average: report

India's per capita emission levels are 70 per cent below world average and 93 per cent lower than those in the US, says a report on climate change. India reports such low figures despite being the fourth largest economy in the world.

Image: NASA

The report, jointly prepared by business chamber Assocham and consultancy firm Ernest and Young, points out that though carbon emissions in India increased by 65 per cent between 1990 and now, and is projected to grow by close to 70 per cent in the next decade or so, emissions have remained low as compared to other major economies.

On a per capita basis, India's emissions are 70 per cent below world average and 93 per cent below the level in the US.

Thus, following principle of common but differentiated responsibility, India maintains that major responsibility of curbing emissions rests with developed countries, which have accumulated emissions over a long period of time.

The report has been released even as negotiations at the Copenhagen climate meet teeter on the brink of disaster.

In a statement, Assocham president Swati Piramal also pointed out that India's greenhouse gas intensity is currently close to 20 per cent lower than world average, and 15 per cent and 14 per cent lower than the US and China, respectively.