GHG Platform India for GHG Emission Estimation and Analysis

The latest national GHG emission inventory for India dates back to 2007. A state-wise analysis of the scenario depicts that only a handful of states have prepared state-level GHG inventories. With this in mind, it was agreed upon by the project partners that the development of the time series of annual GHG emission estimates for India was essential. The multi-institution civil society platform for GHG emissions estimation and analysis in India (India Platform) has been conceptualized as a collaborative initiative to prepare current and historical annual GHG emissions estimates at the state and national level for India that are disaggregated by sector and sub-sector. 

This database can then be used for undertaking relevant analytic assessments in support of policy design and evaluation. The database produced and maintained by the India Platform is available in the public domain to enable third-party use. The India Platform has a Secretariat, whose role will be to coordinate platform activities and Sector Leads designated for each of the sectors will be responsible for the sector-specific activities and outputs. 

As part of this multi-institution project, ICLEI South Asia was the sector lead for the waste sector and has prepared GHG emission estimates for India in this area. The methodological approach prescribed by the 2006 IPCC guidelines for National GHG Emission Inventories was followed and the assessment includes the municipal solid waste disposal, industrial wastewater and domestic wastewater sub-sectors. 

Objectives and Outputs

Phase – 1: 

• Review of National Communication reports and 2006 IPCC guidelines to understand methodological approach and data requirements for waste sector in India.
• Research and data collection to secure and aggregate requisite data from nationally acceptable data sets and address data gaps.
• National emission estimates prepared from 2007 to 2012 for Solid Waste Sector, including industrial waste water, domestic waste water and solid waste sub-sectors in India.
• Disaggregated analysis and methodological approach for all 3sub-sectors for waste sector made available through open-access website platform.

Phase – 2:

• Expanding the national time series of emissions estimation for the Waste sector to the years 2005 to 2013.
• A time series of emission estimates for all sectors and sub-sectors for each Indian state.  State estimates prepared for the same years as the expanded national time series.
• Data analysis and policy ramifications for climate change.
• Outreach and communication targeted at all stakeholders. 

Phase – 3:

• Expanding the national and state-wise time series of emissions estimation for the Waste sector to the years 2005 to 2015.
• Constructive dialogue with the MoEFCC which facilitates a strengthening of India’s GHG inventory development process.
• Preparation of a report on the independent analysis of India’s official GHG inventory.
• Revision of State Action Plan on Climate Change for one state, which aligns with India’s NDC commitments under the Paris Agreement.
• Evaluate the impact of policies and programmes on GHG emissions, and assessments of policy impact for one state through a standard methodology.
• Dissemination of analytical reports providing important insights on GHG emission trends through webinar series and workshop.

Phase – 4:

• Extending national and state-level GHG emission estimates for the years 2016 to 2018 for all three sub-sectors of the waste sector, building upon the phase III estimates.
• Preparation of an addendum to the Phase III Methodology note for the waste sector, reflecting the updates to datasets and the methodology for the extended estimates.
• Comparison of the emission estimates with the Biennial Update Report (BUR-III) estimates for all waste sub-sectors.
• Preparation of a sector-specific briefing paper to highlight the opportunities and potential for emission reduction from the adoption of wastewater treatment technologies.
• Dissemination of platform’s activities and outputs. Analytical reports providing insights into national and state-level GHG emission trends disseminated through webinars and workshops.