India’s‌ ‌efforts‌ ‌towards‌ ‌climate‌ ‌change‌

Syllabus– General Studies 3(environment) 

Context

Despite many climate commitments and accomplishments, global pressures are intensifying on India to commit more towards the Conference of the Parties (COP26), scheduled for November 2021 in Glasgow. 

• The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021.
• The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Comparing base reality among nations in meeting climate goals

Examining World Bank data for CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita) over two decades since the Kyoto protocol informs that at the current rate, both China and the U.S. could emit five times more than India in 2030. 

• China, the world’s largest GHG emitter, joined the ‘race to zero’ and targets carbon neutrality by 2060. Interestingly, it hopes to peak CO2 emissions by 2030 by bending the emissions curve. 
  • The Climate Action Tracker, an independent scientific analysis tracking governments’ actions, noted that China remains committed to supporting the coal industry while the rest of the world experiences a decline.
  • It is now home to half of the world’s coal capacity. 
• USA: Recently, the U.S. rejoined the Paris Agreement and committed to reducing emissions by 50%-52% in 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050. 
  • Such ambitions will also require much more near-term investment than even the U.S. President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure package.
• The U.K.’s emission levels could be more than 1.5 times that of India. Brazil, with its dense forests, may end up at similar levels.
• France set green conditions for bailing out its aviation industry, during the novel coronavirus pandemic. 
  • However no baseline for reducing emissions from domestic flights was fixed, and it is unclear what measures were adopted to promote rail for domestic travel.
• Australia: The complicated domestic politics prevented them from addressing the problem, despite the country being vulnerable, and stretches of the famous Great Barrier Reef having died in recent years. 

India’s performance

• Even at the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (December 2020), India was the only G20 nation compliant with the agreement.
• India has been ranked within the top 10 for two years consecutively in the Climate Change Performance Index.
  • It is published by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network annually
  • It evaluates the performance of countries emitting 90%+ of global greenhouse gases (GHGs)
• The Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme is the world’s largest zero-subsidy LED bulb programme for domestic consumers.
• Achieving Nationally determined contributions (NDCs): India is on track to meet and exceed the NDC commitment to achieve 40% electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based sources by 2030; this share was 38.18%  in November 2020.
• Against the voluntary declaration for reducing the emission intensity of GDP by 20%-25% by 2020, India has reduced it by 24% between 2005-2016.
  • India achieved these targets with around 2% out of the U.S.$100 billion committed to developing nations in Copenhagen (2009), realised by 2015.
• Mitigation efforts: India is implementing one of the most extensive renewable energy expansion programmes to achieve 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030. 
• Coupling Post-pandemic revival with environmental protection: As part of the fiscal stimulus, the Government announced several green measures, including a $26.5-billion investment in biogas and cleaner fuels, $3.5 billion in incentives for producing efficient solar photovoltaic (PV) and advanced chemistry cell battery, and $780 million towards an afforestation programme.
• International efforts: India provided leadership for setting up the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

India’s contribution to global emissions is well below its equitable share of the worldwide carbon budget by any equity criterion. Other countries must deliver on their promises early and demonstrate tangible results ahead of COP26. In any case, India can always revise the NDC for the first global stocktake (2023) while simultaneously protecting our interests. 

The Hindu Link- https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/india-is-indeed-walking-the-green-talk/article36191483.ece

Question- Describe recent efforts taken by India in tackling the issue of climate change and green house gas emissions.