Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Selected Hindu Kush–Himalayan Countries

Ram M. Shrestha

doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-12-00103.1

Abstract

This article discusses historical patterns of energy supply, electricity generation, and sectoral energy consumption as well as the emission of energy-related greenhouse gases during 1995–2008 in 5 Hindu Kush–Himalayan countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, and reviews major studies that predict energy use and greenhouse gas emissions during 2005–2030 in the absence of climate policy interventions. It presents a range of energy use and greenhouse gas emission projections for the selected countries as a whole, and for the Hindu Kush–Himalayan areas in those countries for 2030. This study shows a need to establish a spatially disaggregated (district-level) energy database in the Hindu Kush–Himalayan countries to enable more accurate estimates of energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions in the region.

Highlights

The Hindu Kush–Himalayan (HKH) region, which extends from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east, is one of the least developed regions in the world
This study shows a need to establish a spatially disaggregated energy database in the Hindu Kush–Himalayan countries to enable more accurate estimates of energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions in the region
This study focuses on 5 of those countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, whose HKH mountain areas account for approximately 32% of the land area and 68% of the population of the entire HKH region (WB 2011; ICIMOD 2013)

Summary

Introduction

The Hindu Kush–Himalayan (HKH) region, which extends from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east, is one of the least developed regions in the world. Six countries in the HKH region (Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan) together account for approximately 17% of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is low relative to their size and population.

Results

Conclusion