Creating Carbon Sinks In India: A Law And Policy Perspective

Creating carbon sinks – technologies or processes that absorb more carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere than they release – is a significant part of India's journey to tackle the challenges of climate change. The Economic Survey of India for 2023–24 noted that India has already created a carbon sink of 1.97 billion tons of CO2 between 2005 and 2019, and that its ambition is to create carbon sinks equivalent to 2.5 to 3 billion tons CO2 by the year 2030 through forest and tree cover. In comparison, the UK plans to capture and store 20–30 megatons (million tons) of CO2 each year by 2030.

India's natural carbon sinks

India's natural carbon sinks are a key part of these plans. The country's existing carbon sinks are primarily in the form of forests and mangroves, as well as the soil and oceans. India has a rich tradition of preserving forests and their biodiversity and this value as enshrined in the Constitution of India and measures like the