KOLKATA: West Bengal has emerged as a critical industrial hotspot for black carbon emissions, discharging a staggering 95,901 tonnes annually into the atmosphere. A pioneering study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reveals that the state is the second-largest emitter in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), a region that collectively generates roughly 4.5 lakh tonnes of industrial black carbon each year under uncontrolled conditions.The assessment mapped 5,995 industrial facilities across 38 categories in West Bengal to track the root causes of this footprint. The findings highlight the state’s massive industrial fuel dependency: local factories devour 51.6 million tonnes of coal, 251,416 kilolitres of petroleum products, and 4.8 million tonnes of alternative fuels annually. The principal sectors driving Bengal’s high emissions include Iron & Steel, Chemicals, Foundries & Rolling Mills, Paper & Pulp, and Food Processing, alongside brick kilns and distilleries.To address these findings, CSE organized a vital sensitization workshop in Kolkata on July 1, 2026. Bringing together the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and industry leaders, the workshop aimed to forge state-specific pathways for emission mitigation.“Black carbon remains one of the most overlooked pollutants in India’s environmental governance,” stated Nivit Kumar Yadav, Programme Director at CSE. “It is both a public health hazard and a powerful climate forcer. Bringing it into mainstream policy will deliver immediate benefits for air quality and regional climate mitigation.”The urgency of a localized, bottom-up approach is highlighted by flaws in global data models. Standard global inventories offer wildly divergent estimates for the region, ranging from 1.3 lakh to 8.4 lakh tonnes. By verifying facility-level data across 49,594 facilities in the IGP, CSE has provided a reliable regulatory roadmap. Shobhit Srivastava, Programme Manager at CSE, noted that mapping these facilities provides a practical baseline for prioritizing high-emitting clusters.Black carbon, a byproduct of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass, traps solar radiation and severely accelerates the melting of Himalayan glaciers. Despite these threats, India currently lacks standardized monitoring protocols or dedicated policy frameworks for it.Moving forward, CSE has called for a dedicated Indo-Gangetic Plains Black Carbon Action Plan. Key recommendations include integrating black carbon tracking into the existing Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Systems (AAQMS), establishing shared green infrastructure for MSME clusters, and accelerating fuel transitions. The report concludes that black carbon is entirely manageable if integrated into India’s mainstream environmental governance.West Bengal Industrial Emissions At A GlanceInfobox: West Bengal Industrial Emissions At A GlanceParameter/ West Bengal Data/ Regional Context (IGP Total)Annual Black Carbon Emissions/ 95,901 tonnes / year/ 4.5 Lakh tonnes / yearRegional Rank/ 2nd Highest/ Top Emitter: Uttar Pradesh (186,449 tonnes)Mapped Industrial Facilities/ 5,995 facilities (38 categories)/ 49,594 facilities (52 categories)Annual Coal Consumption/ 51.6 million tonnes/ Primary regional fuel driver Liquid Petroleum Consumption/ 251,416 kilolitres/ Key contributor to industrial combustion Primary Emitting Sectors/ Iron & Steel, Chemicals, Foundries, Brick Kilns/ Non-metallic Minerals, Food & Tobacco
