1-billion-tonne emissions cut: Why it’s a big leap forward

November 3, 2021

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context:

India will achieve net-zero emissions by 2070, Prime Minister said in CoP Glasgow. He was speaking at the ‘High-Level Segment for Heads of State and Government’ during the UNFCCC’s 26th Conference of Parties (COP).

Key points

He also raised the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of achieving 450-gigawatt non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts, among other commitments including reducing carbon emissions.
PM announced India’s four other commitments — all by 2030. He called them the “gift of five elixirs” (panchamrit).
These are:
- increasing non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts (GW),
- fulfilling 50 percent of energy requirements from renewable sources,
- reducing carbon intensity of economy by 45 per cent, and
- reducing total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes.
The PM also outlined the Indian Railways’ commitment of net-zero by 2030, and its ambition of installing 450 GW of renewable energy capacity.
Climate finance: To achieve its climate goals, PM said India expected developed countries “to make $1 trillion available as climate finance as soon as possible”.
- Today, as we track the progress on climate mitigation, the same way we must track climate finance.

Net Zero

It is a state in which a country’s total emissions are offset by absorptions of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, like that done by trees and forests, and physical removal of carbon dioxide through futuristic technologies.
More than 70 countries have promised to become Net Zero by the middle of the century, and this is being considered vital for meeting the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperatures within 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times.

Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)

The NDC is a legally binding, self-determined target that countries make to help slow climate change.
As part of the Paris Agreement, signed at the 21st COP in 2015, countries must review and update their NDCs every five years.
In 2015, India made three pledges:
- an economy-wide emissions intensity target of 33–35 per cent below 2005 levels;
- an electric power capacity target of 40 per cent installed capacity from non-fossil-based energy resources by 2030; and
- a carbon sink expansion target of creating an additional (cumulative) carbon sink capable of absorbing 2.5-3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
Of the 194 parties that signed the Paris Agreement, over 143 have updated their NDCs. India, however, hasn’t yet done so.

India’s progress

The installed renewable capacity has been growing rapidly in the last few years, and the enhancement from 450 GW to 500 GW is not likely to be very challenging.
The increase in proportion of renewable energy sources in India’s electricity generation to 50 per cent is a natural corollary of this.
Most of the new capacity additions in the energy sector are being done in the renewable and non-fossil fuel space.
India has already said it does not plan to start any new coal power plants after 2022. As of now, India was already targeting 40 per cent electricity production through non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.

Significance:

The commitment is significant since India is the third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, after China and the US.
The most substantive new commitment relates to the 1-billion-tonne reduction in its total projected emissions from now until 2030. This is the first time that India has taken any climate target in terms of its absolute emissions.
- Though it’s not a direct emission reduction target.
- According to the World Resources Institute, India’s total greenhouse gas emissions were about 3.3 billion tonnes in 2018. It’s projected to rise above 4 billion tonnes per year by 2030.
- Cutting 1 billion tonnes would, therefore, represent a reduction of 2.5 to 3 per cent in its absolute emissions in the business-as-usual scenario in the next nine years.

India had been under pressure from developed states like the US to raise its climate ambitions and commit to a net-zero target by 2050. India finally relented and decided to take up a target.
Reducing 1 billion tonnes of emissions by 2030 and expanding non-fossils capacity to 500 GW are enormous and transformative steps.
India had demonstrated climate leadership and now the ball was in the court of the developed world to raise its ambition, particularly, in matters of climate finance.

Now India demands US $1 trillion in climate finance as soon as possible and will monitor not just climate action but also climate finance.

The Indian Express Link:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/climate-change-carbon-emissions-cut-narendra-modi-7603315/

Question- India’s commitment at COP-26 held in Glasgow provide a roadmap of India towards achieving net zero emissions by 2070. Explain.