On Thursday midnight, the Union Environment Ministry submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), committing to cut the emissions intensity of GDP by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 levels.
The INDCs, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed,” and released on his birthday, laid out the blueprint for tackling climate change. They emphasised eight key goals — sustainable lifestyles, cleaner economic development, reducing emission intensity of GDP, increasing the share of non-fossil fuel based electricity, enhancing carbon sink, adaptation and mobilising finance, technology transfer and capacity building.
Referring to India’s INDCs as “balanced and comprehensive”, Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said that for a developing nation, India’s goals for tackling climate change were far more ambitious when compared to that of other developed countries.
The text of the 38-page INDCs submissions reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on ‘climate justice” in his September 25 U.N. General Assembly address.
“When we speak of climate justice, we demonstrate our sensitivity and resolve to secure the future of the poor from the perils of natural disasters,” it quoted Mr. Modi. According to Ministry sources, the INDCs were finalised on September 23, before Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for the U.N. General Assembly in New York and the Cabinet cleared it.
India has committed to 40 per cent of non-fossil fuel energy to be adopted by 2030. It has also set the target of generating 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent of carbon sinks in the form of forests.
The INDCs point to tripling of India’s electricity demands by 2030, for which thermal energy is unavoidable. However, Mr. Javadekar pointed out that even for thermal power, emission norms have been made more stringent. India cited its lower per capita emissions, underlining less responsibility to “act” compared to other top emitters such as U.S., China and EU.
