Climate Change and You: Are we doing enough to reduce emissions?

Dear Reader,

Just days after US President Donald Trump called climate change the “greatest con job” at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, several countries, including the world’s largest emitter, China, announced pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions. At the UN Climate Summit held on 24 September, new climate pledges for 2035 were announced by countries that account for 36% of global greenhouse emissions. Together with countries that had announced their climate pledges earlier, about half of global emissions are currently covered, according to an analysis.

The European Union (EU) and India are likely to announce their pledges ahead of the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in November. However, the EU has announced its intent to reduce emissions by 66-72% below 1990 levels.

Experts have said China’s target to lower emissions by 7-10% below the peak level is too weak. With the US, the world’s second-largest emitter, exiting the Paris Agreement for the second time under Trump, it was expected that China would take on a leadership role.

While the 2035 pledges fall short of what is required, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres tried his best to sound optimistic. He emphasized that China has met its solar and wind energy targets six years ahead of schedule, and India reached the target of non-fossil fuels contributing half of its energy capacity five years early. “We are in the dawn of a new energy era… and COP30 in Brazil must conclude with a credible global response plan to get us on track,” Guterres said.

As we analyze the role of countries in lowering emissions, the blame also lies with us, the consumers. Because our lifestyles are responsible for an estimated two-thirds of global emissions. Additionally, the combined emissions of the richest 1% exceed those of the poorest 50%.

State of the climate

The year 2025 marks a decade since the landmark Paris Agreement was signed. The objective of the treaty was to limit global temperature increase as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. However, governments across the world are estimated to produce more than double the amount of fossil fuels that would be consistent with the 1.5 degrees target, according to a new report.

According to the Production Gap Report 2025, countries are collectively planning to produce more fossil fuels than they did two years ago. The projected 2030 production levels are 120% higher than the 1.5 degrees pathway. The collective failure to cut the production of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas means that future production will need to decline more steeply to compensate for current trends.

However, several countries are moving in the right direction. Germany is projecting a faster phase-out of coal than initially planned, Brazil is accelerating energy transition, while China is deploying renewables like solar and wind at an unprecedented pace.

The news in brief

• A new study warns that climate change may reduce global GDP by nearly a quarter by 2100. Besides, it is not something that only hotter countries in the South need to worry about; the climate crisis will lower incomes in all countries, hot and cold, rich and poor alike, the authors warned.
• India’s renewable energy goals have hit a roadblock with no takers for projects with a generation capacity of 30GW. To resolve this, the central government plans to persuade states to buy more green power.

The drought-prone Marathwada region of Maharashtra was hit by floods, which damaged crops and led to multiple casualties. Record rains also drowned Kolkata just ahead of the Durga Puja festivities, leaving a trail of death and devastation. Data from the weather department showed that rainfall was 8% above the 50-year average for the entire country during the June-September monsoon season. About 45% of India’s area received excess rainfall, which is defined as 20% or more above the long-term average.

• Rats are overrunning cities across the world as warmer temperatures fuel population growth and bins overflow with fast food.
• With transport routes cut off following heavy rains, apple growers in Kashmir are watching their harvest rot in trucks stranded on the highway.

Know Your Jargon

Cloud Seeding

It is a weather modification technique in which chemical substances are introduced into clouds to induce rainfall. These substances include silver iodide, dry ice and table salt, which aid the formation of ice crystals in moisture-filled clouds. This can be done either by ground-based generators or by using aircraft. In the past, cloud seeding has been used to mitigate drought, suppress heatwaves and wildfires and reduce air pollution. But so far, the evidence on effectiveness is not conclusive. Many unknowns, such as the impact of widespread silver iodide use on the environment and the unreliability of data on its effectiveness, make this an unproven technology.

Cloud seeding as a weather modification tool was used during the Vietnam War (Operation Popeye) when the US Air Force attempted to extend the monsoon season and disrupt the military supply lines of North Vietnam. Later, a UN convention in 1976 prohibited the use of environmental modification as a means of warfare.

According to news reports, Delhi will conduct a cloud seeding trial between 7 and 9 October to mitigate air pollution. The project is estimated to cost ₹3.2 crore and will be executed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, together with the India Meteorological Department. Across vast swathes of North India, the winter months witness heavy pollution due to unfavourable wind movement, vehicular pollution, and burning of paddy stubble by farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana.

Prime Number

7,000

Indian families spent an estimated ₹7,000 crore in 2024 to refill refrigerants in their room air conditioners (ACs), according to a new report by the climate think tank iForest. Refilling expenses are estimated to quadruple to ₹27,540 crore by 2035. And it's not just the monetary cost to households: refrigerant gases have an extremely high global warming potential (GWP). The most commonly used refrigerant, R32, is 675 times more potent than CO2. Calculations from the report show that India’s total AC-related emissions in 2024, which include both refrigerant leakage and electricity use, were equivalent to emissions from all passenger cars.

Based on a multi-city survey of 3,100 families, the report said consumers are aware of the energy efficiency of ACs but lack knowledge and awareness about refrigerants. Ideally, ACs should be refilled every five years, but most households are pushed to refill every 2-3 years. Proper lifecycle refrigerant management could avoid 500-650 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions between 2025 and 2035. This is worth $25-33 billion in carbon credits and can save consumers $10 billion in unnecessary refilling costs.

Movie of the Month

Fire of Love is the story of Katia and Maurice Krafft, who loved each other and volcanoes. The volcanologist couple toured the planet for two decades chasing eruptions until they lost their lives in one in Japan in 1991. Drawing from the Kraffts’ personal archives, the film by Sara Dosa also includes animated sequences, lending it an enchanting air of a children’s book.

That’s all, for now. Bibek Bhattacharya will be back with the next issue in a fortnight.