Himachal aims to earn carbon credits

DHARAMSALA - Himachal Pradesh has started a process to earn carbon credits under a project of the UN, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said here Wednesday.

Carbon credits provide a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by giving them a monetary value. A credit gives the owner the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide. Credits can be exchanged between businesses or bought and sold in the international market at the current market price.

With the successful completion of the one-year energy saving drive aimed at popularising use of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), the state government has sent a proposal to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to earn carbon credits, Dhumal said in a statement in the state assembly.

He said with the granting of approval by the UNFCCCC, the state would get an additional annual revenue of Rs.8-10 crore through carbon credits.

The CFLs were distributed under the Atal Bijli Bachat Yojana that was launched in November 2008. A pack of four CFLs - two each of 15 watt and 20 watt - was provided to every household.

He said the state has saved energy worth Rs.100 crore (Rs.1 billion) in one year by providing four CFLs to around 15 lakh households. The electricity board has saved 17.5 crore power units in a year, he said.

The government also imposed a ban on production, storage, use, sale and distribution of polythene bags made of non-biodegradable material Oct 2 last year.