Sticking to commitments-India must set an example by balancing energy use and climate goals

Source: The post is based on the article “Sticking to commitments-India must set an example by balancing energy use and climate goals” published in The Hindu on 6^th August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation.

Relevance: About India’s updated NDCs.

News: Ahead of the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27), in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt the Cabinet has approved India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

What are India’s updated NDCs?

What is the present state of the Paris Agreement targets?

The 2015 Paris Agreement requires countries to spell out a pathway to ensure the globe does not heat beyond 2°C, and endeavour to keep it below 1.5°C by 2100. Under the agreement the countries must submit NDCs every five years, mapping what will be done post-2020 to stem fossil-fuel emissions.

But the subsequent COPs are making compromises on the cuts they can undertake over multi-decadal timelines with the least impact on their developmental priorities.

About India’s first INDC and India’s participation in COPs

India consistently held that the existing climate crisis is largely due to industrialisation by the U.S. and developed European countries since 1850. However, international pressure and clearer evidence of the multi-dimensional impact of climate change have seen India agree to move away from fossil fuels over time.

India’s first NDC, in 2015, specified eight targets.

At COP 26 in Glasgow in 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out five commitments, or ‘Panchamrit’. But the recent updated NDC is silent on silent on whether India would cut emissions by a billion tons and create carbon sinks.

What should be done?

India has expressed its intent, via several legislations, to use energy efficiently and many of its biggest corporations have committed to shifting away from polluting energy sources.

India should not promise more than what it can deliver. As it undermines the moral authority that India brings to future negotiations. India should be an exemplar for balancing energy use, development and meeting climate goals.