COP27: India committed to create carbon sink of 2.5-3 bn tn of CO2 equivalent by 2030

NEW DELHI: India has committed in its NDC to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3.0 billion tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030, said Union minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday.

Speaking at the launch of the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) at COP27, the minister said that mangroves have tremendous potential for mitigation of growing GHG concentration in the atmosphere. “Studies have shown that mangrove forests can absorb four to five times more carbon emissions than landed tropical forests. It has also been revealed that mangroves can act as buffer for Ocean acidification and act as sink for micro-plastics.”

Yadav added that creating new carbon sink from mangrove afforestation and reducing emissions from mangrove deforestation are two feasible ways for countries to meet their NDC targets and achieve carbon neutrality.

He said that India is committed to conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems; and has strong commitments towards conservation and management of mangroves. “One of the largest remaining areas of mangroves in the world, the Sundarbans supports an exceptional level of biodiversity in both the terrestrial and marine environments, including significant populations of a range of flora and plant species; species of wildlife wide range of fauna, including the Bengal Tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python. There is significant increase observed in mangroves cover in India in its Andamans region; Sundarbans region; and in the Gujarat region.”

The minister further said that India has demonstrated expertise in mangrove restoration activities for nearly five decades and restored different types of mangrove ecosystems both on its east and west coasts.

Yadav added that integration of mangroves into the national REDD+, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programs are the need of the hour.

“India can contribute to the global knowledge base due to its extensive experience in mangrove restoration, studies on ecosystem valuation and carbon sequestration and also benefit from associating with other nations regarding cutting-edge solutions and generating appropriate financial instruments for mangrove conservation and restoration,” he said.