India's ongoing efforts to tackle Global Warming

It is revealing, to see why India is already pursuing a low-carbon path in comparison to both the US and China:

*Renewable energy's share of total electric capacity is more than twice that of the US, and India is among the top five countries in renewable capacity.

*India's carbon and energy use per unit of GDP are both already below that of the US and China, and seem to be on a decreasing trend.

*India had about 12 vehicles per 1000 people in 2007 compared to over 800 in the US. Bus, rail and non-motorized modes of transportation continue to have the largest share of passenger travel, unlike the US, where substantially more carbon-intensive modes such as private automobiles are dominant.

*Industrial electricity tariffs are the highest in the world, on average. Gasoline and diesel prices are higher than those in the US and China, even in market exchange terms.

*Indians consume only 1/11th of the meat eaten by an average Chinese and 1/25th of that eaten by an American, implying correspondingly lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with the sector.