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UPSC Prelims 2025 · Environment · Warming World
Consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in India are less than 0.5 t CO₂/capita.
- In terms of CO₂ emissions from fuel combustion, India ranks second in Asia-Pacific region.
- Electricity and heat producers are the largest sources of CO₂ emissions in India.
- (a) I and III only
- (b) II only
- (c) II and III only
- (d) I, II and III
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (c) II and III only
Second in Asia-Pacific, with power the largest source; per-capita is ~2 t, not 0.5 t.
Statement by statement
1. ✗ WRONG India emits about 1.9–2 tonnes of CO₂ per person — well below the world average (~4.7 t), but far above 0.5 t.
2. ✓ CORRECT China first, India second.
3. ✓ CORRECT Coal-fired power is India’s biggest CO₂ source.
The idea
Keep India’s total and per-person emissions apart. The total is very large because of population: India is the third-largest emitter after China and the USA. Per person it is small, about 2 tonnes of CO₂ a year, less than half the world average. Small does not mean 0.5.
Coal-fired power and heat: the largest source → Industry: steel, cement → Transport → Buildings and others
The trap
India’s per-capita figure is famously “low”, so any small number feels right. Low means ~2 t, not 0.5 t.
Also know
About three-quarters of India’s electricity still comes from coal, which is why the power sector leads. India’s share of all the CO₂ emitted since 1850 is only about 3–4%, which is the basis of its equity argument in climate talks.
🔒 India: 3rd largest emitter overall, ~2 t CO₂/capita, power sector #1.