India is very particular in addressing the issue of global warming. However its journey in this regard is not without barriers. Discuss
India is very particular in addressing the issue of global warming. However its journey in this regard is not without barriers. Discuss
India’s Climate Commitment:
India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) under the Paris climate agreement are-
- 33-35% reduction in emissions intensity by 2030 from 2005 levels
- 40% of all electricity to be generated from non-fossil fuels by 2030; and
- afforestation programmes that can remove 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent GHG from the atmosphere.
India’s Climate Achievements:
- India is the only major economy in the world with 2°C compatible climate targets and is set to overachieve its 2030 targets by a wide margin.
- India has reduced its emission intensity by 21% in 2020 over 2005 levels.
- Solar capacity of India has grown from 2.63 GigaWatts in 2014 to 36 GigaWatts in 2020. Renewable energy capacity of India is the fourth largest in the world and is expected to reach 175 GigaWatts by 2022 from 136GW at present.
- India’s total forest and tree cover increased to 80.73 million hectare (24.56 per cent of the geographical area of the country) as per the 2019 India State of Forest Report (ISFR). This is an increase of 5,188 sq. km as compared to the assessment of 2017.
Setbacks:
- 68% of India’s greenhouse gas emissions come from energy production, which remains largely reliant on coal power plants.
- Based on current coal expansion plans, capacity would increase from currently more than 200 GW to almost 300 GW over the coming years, leading to higher CO2.
- India's significant food and fertilizer subsidies contribute to climate change leading to high NOx emissions.
- Investment in India’s renewable energy sector fell 12% in 2018-2019 and has plummeted 32% since its peak in 2017.
- India has reduced its target for sales of electric vehicles by 2030 to 30%, down from its originally proposed 100%, which would have been a Paris Agreement consistent benchmark.
Conclusion:
- India needs to remove the obstacles in its path towards its climate destination, so that it could boast itself as a role model for the other countries to emulate.
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