Emissions reduction: Grim future ahead

Seas are rising, forests are burning and governments are still courting fossil fuel companies as if none of this is happening.

- Dhurjati Mukherjee

As the Earth crossed a crucial, irreversible climate tipping point, the scale of destruction seems too vast and the climate-deniers too influential to foresee the looming environmental crisis. The future scenario appears grim but governments the world over are in no way seriously concerned about it.

As regards India is concerned, it reported the highest absolute increase in emissions with an addition of 165 million tonnes of greenhouse gas during 2023-24-- followed by China, Russia, Indonesia and the US, as per the recently released UN Emissions Gap Report 2025. The traditional high emission industries, including aluminium, cement and pulp and paper will have to reduce the intensity of their greenhouse gas emissions to meet specific targets.

Meanwhile, the air quality not just in Delhi but also in Kolkata has been deteriorating though the onset of winter is at least three weeks away. Obviously, the control of emissions is not up to the mark despite various regulations. It needs to be reiterated that the monitoring mechanism regarding environmental guidelines and laws remains much to be desired.