Context:
World Bank report on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agrifood systems released.
Agrifood System Report:
- World’s agrifood system emits about 16 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases (GHG) per year (a third of all global emissions)
- Top 3 agrifood system emitters – China, Brazil and India
- Among the top 10 emitters, two (Canada and US) are high-income countries (HIC), one (Democratic Republic of Congo) is low-income country (LIC) and the rest are middle-income countries.
- Countries with the highest agrifood emissions tend to also be the most populous countries.
- China and India thus rank high in total emissions but much lower in per capita emissions
Findings on India:
- In India, 60% of emissions from agrifood systems come from the farm gate
- Enteric fermentation account for the largest proportion
- Emission intensity of India’s rice production is among the lowest in the world
- However, emissions from this subsector are nevertheless considerable (4%), since India is the 2nd-largest rice producer globally after China
- 80% of the mitigation potential for agriculture in India could be achieved by adopting cost-saving measures alone.
- India has roughly 4 times the population of US but emits only 30 per cent more GHG.
- Reason for India’s low emission intensity – Low-carbon diets, with India having a larger share of vegetarians than any other country worldwide.
Source: Down To Earth
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: According to the United Nations’ World Water Development Report, 2022, India extracts more than a quarter of the world’s groundwater withdrawal each year.
Statement-II: India needs to extract more than a quarter of the world’s groundwater each year to satisfy the drinking water and sanitation needs of almost 18% of world’s population living in its territory.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2023 Prelims]
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-ll is incorrect
(d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-ll is correct
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
About 89% of this groundwater is used in India for irrigation.
Hence, Statement 2 is not correct.
