UNITED NATIONS: As nations head into the crucial climate summit in Glasgow, India has said that the conference should not be just "promises and pledges" and the world needs rapid and deep emission cuts in this decade rather than distant targets.
"Science has time and again clearly stated the urgency of accelerated climate action. Recent incidents of extreme weather events across the world corroborate what science is telling us," Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said.
Addressing the high-level meeting 'Delivering Climate Action - for People, Planet & Prosperity' convened by President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid on Tuesday, Yadav said the world needs rapid, sustained, and deep emission cuts in this decade rather than distant targets. "However, the current discourse on climate ambition seems to be shifting the goalposts," he said.
The high-level summit was convened just days before world leaders gather for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 26th Climate change conference in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12.
"The trust and confidence of the world in the UN processes and forums must be safeguarded by all. Let COP26 be a COP of actions in finance and technology support and not just promises and pledges," Yadav said.
He asserted that as a global community, there is need to ensure that everyone has the right to sustainable development and growth. "Combating climate change is a shared global challenge. The global climate action must be guided by the principles and values of climate justice, equity, and common but differentiated responsibilities in the light of national circumstances, as enshrined in the UN Framework Convention and its Paris Agreement," he said.
Emphasising that "it is already late", Yadav stressed that it is time for all to take accelerated action on climate change. "Those who are historically responsible for climate change and have benefited in the past through a carbon intensive development must step up their action and take lead in providing timely and adequate finance and technology to support developing countries to accelerate their actions," he said.
Yadav told global leaders at the event that at a time when the developed world is exhibiting shortfall in actions with just 14.8 per cent emission reduction against the target of 18 per cent reduction in the pre-2020 period, India is overachieving its voluntary target of emission reduction.
"We have reduced our emission intensity of GDP by 24 per cent between 2005 and 2016, thereby achieving our pre-2020 voluntary target. Our 2030 targets under the Paris Agreement are considered ambitious and compatible with the Paris Agreement goals. We are on the path to achieving those targets," he said.
India has also set out an ambitious target of 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030. Currently, India has 389 GW total installed capacity and has already achieved 155 GW of non-fossil fuel installed capacity as of now.
"We are accelerating action and we are confident to achieve this ambitious target by 2030," he said, adding that India is also taking ambitious actions in energy efficiency measures, biofuels, sustainable transport, e-vehicles, enhancing green cover, sustainable agriculture.
India has also taken an ambitious initiative of National Hydrogen Mission for generation and export of green hydrogen.
Yadav further said that the current stock of greenhouse gases is a result of the economic growth in the industrialised countries in the past which demanded increasing amounts of energy in the form of fossil fuels and they became today's prosperous countries with capital stock and infrastructure.
"In contrast, the adverse impacts of climate change falls disproportionately on developing countries who contributed little to the stock of greenhouse gases," he said.