The need for a reduction in carbon emissions was debated at the United Nations Conference on Environment & Development (The Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, resulting in the adoption of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international treaty on environment. The Kyoto Protocol, 1998, was adopted by the parties to the UNFCCC with the objective of achieving quantified emission limitations through specific policies and measures to minimising the adverse effects of climate change.

India has emerged as the second largest seller of carbon credits in the global market with six per cent share in 2007, while China tops the list with a huge 73 per cent, a World Bank report said. "India and Brazil, at 6 per cent market share each, transacted the highest volumes after China in 2007," said the report State and Trends of the Carbon Market 2008.

CERs to rise 75% this year; India accounts for 43% of emission reductions issued by global body. In the backdrop of an increasing threat of global climate change, the worldwide carbon credit market is expected to grow by nearly 75 per cent in 2008. "The carbon market size, which was 40 billion Euro in 2007, is likely to grow up to 60-70 billion Euro in 2008," said Rajesh Srivastava, managing director, Rabo India Finance, speaking at an international conference on carbon credits on Friday.