CO2 Levels Set to Break 2 Million-Year Record; India Aims for Emission Reductions

 India to Continue Following Climate Policies as CO2 Levels to Hit 429.6 ppm in May 2025.
On January 17, 2025, the UK's Met Office published a study stating that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels will reach 429.6 ppm by May 2025, the highest concentration ever at any point in the last two million years. The rate of increase, about 2.26 ppm, is far from what the IPCC targets for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Rising CO2 Levels and Climate Targets
CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions must first slow down but eventually go into reverse to reach and then exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold. The IPCC suggests that the amount of CO2 that should be added annually in atmospheric buildup should drop to 1.8 ppm. However, the actual rate of increase keeps rising with multiple contributions.

The new record high of CO2 levels has been attributed to fossil fuel emissions, reduced carbon capture by natural sinks such as the tropical forests and the massive release of CO2 through wildfires. Such research identifies critical necessity to be addressed by the world as a whole to take mitigation actions as well as carbon sequestration augmentation.

Indian Climate Policy Development
India is one of the largest emitting countries for greenhouse gases, and critical work has been going on in climate policies within India. According to the report of Council on Energy, Environment and Water dated 7 November 2024, Indian policies will reduce its CO2 emissions by four billion tonnes during the period from 2020 through 2030. In addition, the country will experience a 24% decline in coal-based power generation against no policy scenario from the same time to 2030.

According to the report, initiatives taken across sectors within the power, residential, and transport sectors since 2015-2020 have conserved 440 million tonnes of CO2 in India. This is a great achievement because India has declared at COP26 summit, Glasgow, it will reduce CO2 emission by one billion tons by 2030.

Transition towards Renewable Energy
The renewable energy policies of India are likely to alter the energy mix in the country quite considerably. Solar and wind power is likely to capture 26% share by 2030 and 43% share by 2050, compared to a meager 3% in 2015. This growth will reduce reliance on coal-based power to a large extent and will help achieve global targets on climate change.

Such policies should help bring down coal-based electricity generation to the levels of 24% by 2030 as part of efforts to improve the power sector's energy security while staying true to the climate pledges undertaken under the Paris Agreement.

International Implication and the Way Ahead
This will increase the CO2 levels in the atmosphere, and therefore, it needs a sense of emergency global cooperation while dealing with the issue of climate change. India and other similar countries are working hard to check the emissions and shift towards the use of renewable energy; nevertheless, as an aggregate, still, the amount is not sufficient to make a cut.

This makes India a perfect example of policy-driven approach that can effectively counter climate change as India succeeded in reducing the proportionate emission while increasing the adoption of renewable energy. Stronger commitments and immediate action from all the major emitters are in a posture to achieve the 1.5-degree Celsius target.