World Can Learn from India’s Climate Commitments
India introduced multi-faceted initiatives to mitigate climate change – from the world’s largest railway carrier becoming Net-Zero by 2030 to saving 40 billion tonnes of emission through LEDs it announced at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
India is putting climate change at the centre of its policies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made bold announcements at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference and said that India will go carbon neutral by 2070.
PM Modi presented his five-point agenda, which he called the five ‘Amrit tattva’ while delivering the ‘National Statement’ at the COP-26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
Representing India at the ‘High-Level Segment for Heads of States and Government’ at the UN COP26 at Glasgow, UK, the Prime Minister said that India is working very hard on tackling climate change-related issues.
The important agendas set by PM Modi at the climate summit were: Net Zero Emission; Reducing carbon emissions and intensity; Renewable energy; Climate Finance & Tech Transfer as an imperative; and Lifestyles for the environment.
India would become carbon neutral and achieve net-zero emissions by the year 2070. This is a historic step taken by PM Modi which shows India’s ambition when it comes to fighting climate change. Despite being a developing country, India shows the way when it comes to safeguarding planet earth.
PM Modi announced that India will reduce 1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions from the total projected emissions by 2030. India will also reduce carbon intensity by 45 per cent in its economy.
When India took the ambitious pledge of achieving 450 GW installed capacity by 2030 through non-fossil fuel sources, it was seen as over-ambitious. Now, India is not only on track to achieve this target but has decided to further raise it to 500 GW. India has also pledged to fulfill 50 per cent of its energy requirements from renewables by 2030.
PM Modi gave a clear message to developed countries that just like India has raised its ambition in setting its targets, they also need to raise ambitions in climate finance and tech transfer. The world cannot achieve newer targets with old goals of climate finance. The Prime Minister also called upon developed economies to make USD 1 trillion available for climate financing.
PM Modi’s mantra of Lifestyle for Environment is inspired by Indian culture and Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings to ensure peaceful existence with nature.
A potentially important development that emerged out of COP26 (but outside the COP process) is the Glasgow Breakthrough Agenda endorsed by 42 countries (including India).
This is a cooperative effort to accelerate the development and deployment of clean technologies and sustainable solutions in areas such as clean power, road transport, steel and hydrogen.
The Glasgow Summit urged countries to consider strengthening their 2030 targets by COP27 to be held in Egypt in 2022.
The summit targeted global warming not to exceed +1.5°C and got about 140 countries to announce target dates for bringing emissions down to net zero.
The achievement is significant as in the Paris Agreement, the developing countries did not agree to reduce emissions but just the “emissions-intensity” of GDP.
India constitutes 17 per cent of the global population and India’s contribution to the emission has only been 5 per cent.
But today, the entire world admits that India is the only major economy that has delivered on the Paris Agreement in letter and spirit. Most of the countries have dragged their feet.
India took several steps to mitigate climate change like International Solar Alliance (ISA); One Sun One World One Grid Group (OSOWOG) etc. The track record of India shows that it has been serious about climate change and it is making every effort to meet the commitments.