Climate change?: Coal India ranks No 1, Adani No 3 in carbon emission worldwide, says Fossil Fuel Indexes report

By Our Representative
In an astonishing revelation, several top Indian companies -- Government of India-owned Coal India, Gujarat's powerful Adani Group, Tata Steel, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Tata Power, and Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) -- have found their way into top 100 CO2 emitting coal companies worldwide.
A recent high-profile report by Fossil Free Indexes LLC has, in fact, ranked Coal India, a listed company, as the worst carbon emitter in the world with 57.722 gigatons (Gt) of CO2, ranking it No 1. Following Coal India’s carbon dioxide emission is China Shenhua with 36.807 Gt, ranking No 2, and then comes the turn of Adani Group with 25.383 Gt ranking No 3.
As for others, their CO2 emission is Tata Steel, ranking 31st, with an emission of 2.709 Gt; NTPC, ranking 48th, with an emission of 1.740 Gt; Tata Power, ranking 58th, with an emission of 1,062 Gt; and SAIL, ranking 91st, with an amission of 0.307 Gt of CO2.
The report, titled "The Carbon Underground 200TM", identifies the top 100 public coal companies and as many public oil and gas companies globally, ranking them by the potential carbon emissions content of their reported reserves.
As for oil and gas emission, Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) ranks No 14th worldwide, with a CO2 emission of 2.457 Gt, and Oil India ranks 34th, with an emission of 0.113 Gt.
Pointing towards the danger posed by these 200 listed pubic companies, the report, the report states, "The reserves of these companies total 555 gigatons (Gt) of potential CO2 emissions, almost five times more than can be burned for the world to have an 80% chance of limiting global temperature rise to 2°C (3.6° F)."
The report adds, the CO2 emissions potential of the coal, oil and gas reserves of these "largest public fossil fuel companies continues to grow", despite the "dwindling carbon emissions budget implied by a broad government policy agreement to avoid excessive global warming."
"The trends evidenced in this report demonstrate that reserve growth continues to be the norm for both the oil and gas and the coal sectors as a whole. The 555 Gt CO2 emissions potential estimated to be embedded in the reported reserves of the 200 firms – The Carbon Underground 200 – represents over 400% of the firms’ carbon budget allocation, based on their share of carbon emissions potential of global reserves", the underlines.
According to the report, it "estimates an updated carbon budget based on the only IPCC climate scenario with a future less than 2° C above pre-industrial levels with >66% probability. These estimates broadly confirm growing research on the exposure of public fossil fuel companies, especially those in the coal sector, to potential constraints and revaluation based on stranded assets.
The report further says, "Companies on the list are investable as of January 31, 2015. Subsidiaries with their own exchange listings that report reserves separately from their parent are eligible for inclusion. Companies that publicly trade only a portion of their overall shares are also eligible for inclusion."
It adds, "The rankings are based on calculated carbon emissions data using reserves reported as of October 31, 2014. The ranking are adjusted for company mergers and acquisitions through January 31, 2015."
Pointing towards its methodology, the report says, "Rankings are constructed using a reserves-based methodology with the underlying core data based on 'reported' reserves. Coal reserves are the sum of proven and probable reserves based on the last reported reserves amount by mine.”
It adds, “Reserves are allocated to listed companies based on percentage ownership of individual mines. Oil and gas companies are ranked on proven reserves (1P) net of royalty payments."
The report says, "The Carbon Underground 200 relies on the IPCC Revised 1996 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories as a methodological framework. The calculation of CO2 emission potential requires several conversions to the raw reserves figures."
However, there is a disclaimer in the report: "Fossil Free Indexes LLC and its third-party data providers and licensors do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or availability of the information contained herein".

Comments

What's Bill Gates up to? Have 'irregularities' found in funding HPV vaccine trials faded?

By Colin Gonsalves* After having read the 72nd report of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on alleged irregularities in the conduct of studies using HPV vaccines by PATH in India, it was startling to see Bill Gates bobbing his head up and down and smiling ingratiatingly on prime time television while the Prime Minister lectured him in Hindi on his plans for the country.

Muted profit margins, moderate increase in costs and sales: IIM-A survey of 1000 cos

By Our Representative The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad’s (IIM-A's) latest Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES) has said that the cost perceptions data obtained from India’s business executives suggests that there is “mild increase in cost pressures”.

Govt putting India's professionals, skilled, unskilled labour 'at mercy of' big business

By Thomas Franco, Dinesh Abrol* As it is impossible to refute the report of the International Labour Organisation, Chief Economic Advisor Anantha Nageswaran recently said that the government cannot solve all social, economic problems like unemployment and social security. He blamed the youth for not acquiring enough skills to get employment. Then can’t the people ask, ‘Why do we have a government? Is it not the government’s responsibility to provide adequate employment to its citizens?’

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor* Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

Anti-Rupala Rajputs 'have no support' of numerically strong Kshatriya communities

By Rajiv Shah Personally, I have no love lost for Purshottam Rupala, though I have known him ever since I was posted as the Times of India representative in Gandhinagar in 1997, from where I was supposed to do political reporting. In news after he made the statement that 'maharajas' succumbed to foreign rulers, including the British, and even married off their daughters them, there have been large Rajput rallies against him for “insulting” the community.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Displaced from Bangladesh, Buddhist, Hindu groups without citizenship in Arunachal

By Sharma Lohit Buddhist Chakma and Hindu Hajongs were settled in the 1960s in parts of Changlang and Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh after they had fled Chittagong Hill Tracts of present Bangladesh following an ethnic clash and a dam disaster. Their original population was around 5,000, but at present, it is said to be close to one lakh.

IMA vs Ramdev: Why what's good or bad for goose should be good or bad for gander

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* Baba Ramdev and his associate Balkrishna faced the wrath of the Supreme Court for their propaganda about their Ayurvedic products and belittling mainstream medicine. Baba Ramdev had to apologize in court. His apology was not accepted and he may face the contempt of court with harsher punishment. The Supreme Court acted on a public interest litigation (PIL) moved by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

Youth as game changers in Lok Sabha polls? Young voter registration 'is so very low'

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Young voters will be the game changers in 2024. Do they realise this? Does it matter to them? If it does, what they should/must vote for? India’s population of nearly 1.3 billion has about one-fifth 19.1% as youth. With 66% of its population (808 million) below the age of 35, India has the world's largest youth population. Among them, less than 40% of those who turned 18 or 19 have registered themselves for 2024 election. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), just above 1.8 crore new voters (18-and 19-year-olds) are on the electoral rolls/registration out of the total projected 4.9 crore new voters in this age group.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded reaction in the form of a link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

Search This Blog