Are Carbon Emissions High In India?

The Delhi government recently imposed the odd-even rule on the basis of the premise that carbon emissions from vehicles play an important role in polluting Indian cities. While that is true, one must consider that vehicle ownership is unusually low in India and even though Indian cities are densely populated, low vehicle ownership leads to low per-capita emissions.

On the other hand, even if per-capita emission is low in a vastly populated country, vehicular pollution can still be significant. In fact, when vehicle ownership in India rises to the high levels of the United States, vehicular pollution will emerge as a major source of air pollution. Over the next few decades, India's population will rise, too. If modern technology does not allow us to produce remarkably efficient cars, the results will be disastrous. Affluence and technological advancement will prove to be crucial in tackling such problems.