India worst affected by climate change among G20 says report

News: A study titled ‘Brown to Green’ by Climate Transparency (CT) has said that India is worst affected by climate change among G20 countries.

Facts:

Key Takeaways from the study

• India, Russia, France, Italy and Germany are the top 5 for average climate related annual deaths at 3,661.
• India, China, EU, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey will likely meet or surpass their NDCs targets (except for curbing emissions from land use change and forestry sector).
• However, none of the G20 countries’ NDCs were aligned to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degree C.
• 82% of the G20’s energy mix continued to be fossil fuels, which had to come down to at least 67% by 2030 and to 33% by 2050 to be compatible with the ‘1.5 degree C’ target.
• India had the most ambitious NDC and it could align it with the ‘1.5 degree C target’ if it continued to abandon planned coal-fired power plants in favour of cheaper renewable energy technology.
• India is currently investing the most in renewable energy while Brazil and Germany were the only G20 countries with long term renewable energy strategies.
• Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and the US needed a coal phase-out plan.

Note: Climate Transparency (CT) is a global consortium that puts together climate information on G20 countries.

Additional Information:

About Paris Climate Change Agreement

• The Paris Agreement was adopted at the UNFCC COP21 held in Paris in 2015. 195 UNFCCC members have signed the agreement, and 187 have become party to it
• Aim: It aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change and specifies long-term goals regarding global average temperatures, adaptation to climate change and finance flows
• Goals:
  • Temperature: hold warming below 2°C above pre-industrial levels with effective efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C
  • Adaptation: Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development
  • Low Emission Finance flows: Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development
• Approach: Intended Nationally Determined Targets: The Paris Agreement gives flexibility to both developed and developing countries to determine their own targets. The INDCs set out each country’s plan for addressing climate change, including a target for reducing GHG emissions, and how the countries intend to achieve that target.

About G20:

• G20 is an international forum of the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies formed in 1999.
• The group accounts for 85% of world GDP and two-thirds of the population.
• They have no permanent staff of its own and its chairmanship rotates annually between nations divided into regional groupings.