India overtakes China as world’s top SO2 polluter
BEIJING:India has overtaken China as the world’s worst emitter of sulphur dioxide (SO2), a toxic pollutant which has serious impact on human health, official media reported Friday quoting a new report.
While SO2 emissions have declined by 75% in China since 2007 in India, the rate has increased by a worrying 50%, the report said.
The report was published in the latest edition of the science journal Scientific Journals and has been widely picked up by the Chinese official media.
The report comes at a time when New Delhi is facing a severe bout of pollution caused by multiple reasons including stubble burning in neighbouring states, vehicular emission, dust and construction activities.
China and India are the world’s top consumers of coal, which typically contains up to 3% sulphur, and in both countries SO2 emissions come from coalfired power plants and coal-burning factories. This could be the first time in almost 20 years that a country is surpassing China in SO2 emission.
“The rapid decrease of SO2 emissions in China far exceeds our expectations and projections,” author Can Li, an associate research scientist at University of Maryland, told Xinhua.
Li and colleagues’ conclusion came after examining data from US space agency NASA’s Aura spacecraft.
They studied SO2 pollution changes in China and India from 2005 to 2016, with results verified by aircraft measurements. For 2019, SO2 emission was around 11 megatons for India while China had emitted 8.4 megatons.
“The emissions from China, it showed, peaked at about 37 megatons in 2007, and have since been on a generally decreasing trajectory,” the report said.
“Right now, India’s increased sulfur dioxide emissions are not causing as many haze problems as they do in China because the largest emission sources are not in the most densely populated area of India,” Li said. “However, as demand for electricity grows in India, the impact may worsen.”
The study added that China’s pollution control measures were paying off even “...though coal usage in the country increased by about 50% and electricity generation grew over 100%”.
WHILE SO2 EMISSIONS HAVE DECLINED BY 75% IN CHINA SINCE 2007 IN INDIA, THE RATE HAS INCREASED BY A WORRYING 50%