The Hindu Business Line : Greenpeace calls for carbon tax on India’s rich consumers

New Delhi, Nov. 15 The country’s greenhouse gas emissions are being fuelled almost entirely by the rapidly growing rich consumers, who despite being just a fraction of the 1.1-billion population are eating into the carbon space needed for the development of over 800 million poor in the country, according to environmental watchdog Greenpeace.

In a new report titled ‘Hiding behind the poor’, Greenpeace has called for a special tax for higher carbon emissions on the nation’s wealthy consumers, who, it says, are nearly at par with consumers in some of the developed nations in terms of per capita greenhouse gas emissions.

It says the economic divide within India is translating into a widening emission divide, with some 150 million Indians, who are splurging on luxury goods and air travel, producing 4.5 times more carbon emissions than the 800 million poor.

Carbon footprint

The findings of the report, Greenpeace said, “…plainly illustrate that the considerably significant carbon footprint of a relatively small wealthy class in the country is camouflaged by the 823 million poor population of the country, who keep the overall per capita emissions below 2 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.”

Greenpeace India’s Executive Director, Mr G. Ananthapadmanabhan, said the Government should not use its average low carbon per capita emissions as a reason not to try to bring down the amount of carbon dioxide released.

India’s position on UN climate change negotiations would be strengthened if New Delhi made the rich pay a special tax for higher carbon emissions, he said, adding, “…the difference in emissions between the highest and the lowest income groups in India is almost as glaring as the difference in the average per capita emissions between the EU and India.” The report has been released in the wake of the upcoming environmental meet at Bali in December.

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