Carbon reduction may hamper growth: Experts

NEW DELHI: The government’s decision to cut carbon emissions by 20-25% has already spurred a debate in government circles, said sources, on whether India has taken carbon-intensity cut targets in haste.
India had earlier rejected the idea of a low carbon growth plan and had instead advocated a stronger programme for energy intensity reduction and see carbon mitigation as a co-benefit.
While the target in itself does not go much beyond India’s current needs, some experts feel that going into the future, it could restrict India’s ability to make structural shifts in its economy and expansion of its manufacturing base. At present, India is largely an agriculture and service sector based economy — which are both low carbon intensive — in future its manufacturing sector, which is high carbon intensive, is expected to grow. And this growth might experience difficulties as a result of the new target.
While India has kept tabs on emissions from coal, oil and gas production, it has never profiled the emissions of the entire economy, which would include the carbon intensive steel and cement industries and small and medium manufacturing units as well as forestry and agriculture.