02 Nov 2021 COP 26 summit
- In an effort to battle climate change, PM Modi has made the following announcements at the ongoing COP26 summit in Glasgow:
- India will achieve net zero emissions latest by 2070.
- By 2030, India will ensure 50% of its energy will be sourced from renewable sources.
- India will also reduce its carbon emissions until 2030 by a billion tonnes.
- It will also reduce its emissions intensity per unit of GDP by less than 45%.
- India would also install systems to generate 500 gigawatt of renewable energy by 2030, a 50 GW increase from its existing target.
What needs to be done ahead?- Suggestions by India:
- In the spirit of climate justice, rich developed countries ought to be providing at least $1 trillion in climate finance to assist developing countries and those most vulnerable.
- Principles of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and, recognition of the very different national circumstances of countries be respected.
- Sustainable modes of living being practised in certain traditional communities ought to be made part of school curricula.
- The lessons from India’s efforts at adaptation in programmes such as Jal Jeevan mission, Swach Bharat mission and mission ujwala ought to be popularized globally.
- Focus should be on climate adaptation as much as mitigation.
Which countries have announced net-zero targets?
- In 2019, the New Zealand government passed the Zero Carbon Act, which committed the country to zero carbon emissions by 2050.
- The UK’s parliament passed legislation requiring the government to reduce the UK’s net emissions of greenhouse gases by 100 per cent.
- US president Joe Biden announced that the country will cut its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
- World War Zero was launched in 2019 to bring together unlikely allies on climate change and with the goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions in the country by 2050.
- The European Union plan “Fit for 55”, the European Commission has asked all of its 27 member countries to cut emissions by 55 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030.
- China announced that it would become net-zero by the year 2060 and that it would not allow its emissions to peak beyond what they are in 2030.
What does net-zero mean?
- Net-zero, which is also referred to as carbon-neutrality, does not mean that a country would bring down its emissions to zero. That would be gross-zero, which means reaching a state where there are no emissions at all, a scenario hard to comprehend.
- Basically, net-zero is a state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorption and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
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