GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2299
TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.03.2025
Impact of climate-driven wildfires on greenhouse gas emissions
2299. SHRI RAVI CHANDRA VADDIRAJU:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has assessed the impact of climate-driven wildfires on greenhouse gas emissions in India;
(b) the steps being taken to improve data collection and scientific capacity for estimating emissions from wildfires, including soil and biomass carbon loss;
(c) whether Government plans to include wildfire emissions linked to climate change in national greenhouse gas inventories, and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the measures being implemented to strengthen wildfire management, including early warning systems, resource allocation and community preparedness?

ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) to (d) India is a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). As its reporting obligations, India periodically submits its National Communications (NCs) and Biennial Update Reports (BURs). These reports include greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory prepared as per relevant national GHG inventory guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). As per these guidelines, GHG emissions from all managed lands are reported. Methane (CH4) and Nitrous Oxide (N2O) emissions from forest fires in India are therefore included in the Land Use Land use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector inventory. As per India’s fourth BUR, CH4 and N2O emissions from forest fires contributed 1.055 million tonne CO2e in the year 2020, which is only 0.03 % of the total GHG emissions in India.

The Protection of forests from wildfire is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments/Union Territory (UT) Administrations. There are legal provisions for the protection of forests from wildfire, which include, the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the State Forest Acts, and Rules thereunder. The State Governments /UT Administrations take appropriate actions to protect forests from wildfire under the provisions made under these Acts/ Rules. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) supports the efforts of the States/ UTs in the prevention and control of forest fires by providing financial assistance under the Centrally Sponsored Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme as well as through CAMPA funds. In the financial year 2024-25, Rs. 29.72 crore has been sanctioned to States and UTs under this Scheme and Rs. 147 Crore has been approved under
CAMPA funds. The MoEFCC has put in place a National Action Plan on Forest Fire 2018, which provides comprehensive measures to prevent forest fires and to improve the resilience of the forests against fire hazards. The State Governments/UT Administrations also prepare the State Action Plans, in tandem with the National Action Plan to undertake State/UT specific measures towards forest fire prevention and management. To prevent forest fires, the Ministry through the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun provides one-week advance Pre-Fire Alerts, Large Forest Fire Alerts and Near Real Time Forest Fire Alerts to the registered subscribers and State Forest department officials to combat forest fires. Further, the Ministry in coordination with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has trained three battalions of the NDRF comprising 150 personnel to tackle large forest fires. These battalions are deployed asper the requirements to control forest fires.
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