Delhi metro first railway to earn UN carbon credits

Delhi Metro has become the world's first railway network to earn carbon credits from the United Nations for helping cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Figures from the UN show the system, opened in 2002, has reduced the city's CO2 emissions by 630,000 tonnes a year. As a result it qualifies for carbon credits under the UN-run Clean Development Mechanism which translates into USD9.5 million a year for seven years.

In one of the sub-continents most polluted city, the metro system is regarded as critical in reducing trips by cars, buses or motorbikes many of which are older and higher-polluting vehicles.

"The United Nations body administering the clean development mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol has certified that Delhi Metro has reduced emissions," the UN statement said. "No other Metro in the world could get the carbon credit for the above because of the very stringent requirement to provide conclusive documentary proof of reduction in emissions," it added.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had to propose and prove a new method of proving the emissions using sampling techniques. Because of the strict UN requirements of providing documentary proof of carbon cutting, in reality with metro and without metro figures, the DMRC started the process prior to its opening in 2002.

Figures show it has helped remove over 91,000 vehicles from the roads in the city on a daily basis. Every passenger who uses the Metro instead of cars or buses helps reduce greenhouse emissions by approximately 100gm of carbon-dioxide for every trip of 10km and that helps in reducing global warming, the UN said.