PM Modi Pledges Net Zero Carbon Emissions By 2070, Well Beyond Experts' 2050 Target
Scientists have said the world needs to halve global emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
India＊s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. But it is well beyond the 2050 date many may have been hoping for.
India last to announce goal
The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world＊s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
AP
Scientists have said the world needs to halve global emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
※By 2070, India will achieve the target of net-zero emissions,§ Narendra Modi told more than 120 leaders at the critical talks on Monday. Modi also said India would increase its 2030 target for installed capacity of ※non-fossil energy§ 每 mostly solar 每 from 450 to 500 gigawatts.
In addition, 50 per cent of the country＊s energy requirements will come from renewable sources by the same date.
India's net-zero by 2070 pledge means that 84% of global CO2 emissions are now covered by net-zero targets
〞 Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) November 1, 2021
Net-zero goals cover:
* 84% of global CO2
* 93% of coal use
* 80% of oil
* 65% of population
* 75% of gas pic.twitter.com/vP2aSUNtRr
Officials rejected climate-related global pressure
The announcement〞which was accompanied by four other climate-related targets, all light on detail〞caught climate advocates by surprise, given that India has previously rejected global pressure to make such a commitment, saying as recently as last week that net-zero goals were not the solution to the climate crisis.
It said it was more important for the world to lay out credible pathways to reduce emissions.
climate
Under the Paris Agreement, countries that submitted carbon cutting plans under the 2015 treaty were to provide updates five years later, by the end of 2020.
India is the only major economy not to have not done so, but Modi＊s announcement is likely to be formalised in a revised plan, experts suggested.
About net-zero target
A net-zero target refers to the date by which a country plans to be adding no more carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases to the earth＊s atmosphere than it sucks out of it, using carbon-absorbing plants and still-developing technologies.
Dozens of countries have set net-zero targets over the last few years, with most wealthy nations, including the U.S., the U.K., Japan and others, opting for a 2050 goal. China, Saudi Arabia and Russia have all recently pledged to hit net-zero by 2060.
Reuters
Lowest per capita emissions of the world
Modi also announced that the carbon intensity of India＊s economy 每 the amount of goods produced per unit of energy 每 would be reduced by 45 percent by 2030. The previous goal was 35 per cent.
Modi made it clear however that emissions cutting pledges from India and other developing nations would require finance from rich, historic emitters.
※Instead of mindless and destructive consumption we need mindful and deliberate utilisation,§ he said, citing consumer choices in areas from packaging to diet.
Reuters
※These choices, made by billions of people, can take the fight against climate change one step further,§ he said. India has the lowest per capita emissions of the world＊s major economies 每 emitting 5 per cent of the total, despite accounting for 17 per cent of the world＊s population.
Senior Writer at Indiatimes. She writes on Lifestyle, fashion, beauty, astrology and health.
