India 'walking the talk' on climate change committments, says Environment Minister at COP25
Speaking at a high-level meeting at the ongoing UN Framework Convention on Climate Change COP25 in Madrid, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar presented India's stand.
India is "walking the talk" on its climate change committments and has reduced emission intensity by 21 percent of its GDP as promised in the Paris summit in 2015, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in Madrid on Tuesday.
Speaking at a high-level meeting at the ongoing UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP25 in the Spanish capital, the Minister presented India's stand.
"Climate change is real. The world recognised it and adopted a comprehensive agreement in Paris. Let us concentrate on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and not digress," he said.
Mask has become a must for the Delhi citizens to breath toxic air
Pointing out that if there was an inconvenient truth in the form of climate change, the country was working to provide a convenient action plan and thus walking the talk, he added, "India has reduced emission intensity by 21 percent of GDP and is on track to achieve the goal of 35 percent emission reduction as promised in Paris."
The 25th Conference of Parties (COP25), which commenced on December 2 and is likely to go on till December 13, is being attended by over 190 countries.
The Minister said only six countries are on track to meet their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and India is leading the list. He added,
"Internationally, we launched the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, which is a partnership to support countries through knowledge exchange and provide technical support on developing disaster and climate-resilient infrastructure. Only six countries are on track to meet their NDCs announced in Paris. We are leading the pack. Sustainable lifestyle is a part of the ethos of India."
In his address, Javadekar said India was making progress in harnessing solar, biomass, and wind energy. He also listed out all the efforts being made in the country to combat climate change.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 175 gigawatt (GW) target for renewable energy under Paris Agreement. We have already achieved 83 GW. [The] Prime Minister has subsequently increased the target to 450 GW at the recent UN Climate Action Summit. We are simultaneously progressing on solar, biomass and wind energy," he said.
The Minister also highlighted that the government had levied carbon tax on coal production at the rate of $6 per tonne. He further said that, even with 36 political parties represented in Parliament, this was achieved unanimously.
The Minister reiterated India's promise to create additional carbon sinks of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon equivalent by increasing green cover. He said,
"In the last five years, our green cover has increased by 15,000 sqkm. We are undertaking special projects like urban forests, school nursery, agro-forestry, water, and fodder augmentation in the forest area. India prioritises adaptation as an integral part of climate action. Therefore, India will be investing about 50 million dollars in water conservation."
Referring to the decisions made in the 14th UN COP Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) held in New Delhi earlier this year, Javadekar said 26 million hectares of degraded land will be restored by 2030. "This is one of the largest programmes in the world to ensure carbon sink in land resources," he said.
The Minister also shared with the delegates that India was aiming to blend 20 percent ethanol in petrol by 2030.
"The headline is that a commercial flight was operated on 100 percent biofuel, and we are targeting blending of 20 percent ethanol in petrol by 2030. We have leapfrogged from Bharat Standard IV to Bharat Standard VI for vehicle emission norms, and, from 1st April 2020, vehicles will be BS VI compliant," he said.
The Minister affirmed that India would continue to do its bit to tackle climate change, but with the support of developed countries.
"This is the time for ownership and this is the time for responsible action. India has and will continue to do its bit — expecting commensurate multilateral action with developed countries taking the lead," he added.
(Edited by Athirupa Geetha Manichandar)
