The metro network in India’s capital city of Delhi has become the world’s first train system to earn carbon credit.
The network, run by  the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), has earned Rs 47 crore of carbon credits annually for the next seven years.
The United Nations has praised DMRC for helping reduce pollution levels in the capital by 630,000 tonnes a year.
“DMRC has helped in reducing emission of harmful gases and the UN body under the Kyoto Protocol has certified this,†Anuj Dayal, a DMRC spokesperson told news agencies.
The carbon credits may increase with the rise in passenger numbers. Currently, the DMRC network serves two million passengers every day.
The UN set up carbon trading under the Kyoto Protocol, to encourage organisations and countries to meet their emissions-cutting targets by funding projects that reduce emissions. Green initiatives receive carbon credits – each equivalent to a tone of carbon avoided.
No other train network in the world has been able to meet UN’s stringent standards for carbon credits.
Delhi Metro has helped remove more than 91,000 vehicles from the roads of Delhi daily, says a DMRC statement.
This is the second project from DMRC to be registered with the UN in the last three years. DMRC’s first project on regenerative braking had also achieved many international accolades apart from earning valuable foreign exchange for the country.
Every passenger who chooses to use Metro instead of car/bus contributes in reduction in emissions to the extent of approx. 100 gm of carbon-di-oxide for every trip of 10 km and therefore, becomes party to the reduction in global warming.
Leave a Reply