India's Climate Action: A Balance Between Developmental Goals and Environmental Sustainability

Strategic Insights -

The Indian Prime Minister emphasized that climate action must be combined with the country's central developmental goals. He stated that climate action that delays or makes poverty eradication more difficult will be difficult to implement, highlighting the need to prioritize activities that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while also delivering substantial collateral benefits by reducing poverty or improving local environmental quality and human health. The Prime Minister expressed full support for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its Chairman Dr Pachauri, affirming India's confidence in the IPCC process and its leadership.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Indian Prime Minister stressed the need to balance climate action with the country's developmental goals, prioritizing activities that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while delivering benefits such as poverty reduction and improved environmental quality.
  • India has set up an Indian Network for Comprehensive Climate Change Assessment, a network of over 120 research institutes, to report on the impacts of climate change on different sectors and regions.
  • The country's Energy Research Institute has earned international acclaim for its contributions to the global effort in meeting the twin challenges of energy security and climate change.
  • India is adopting a different model of growth from that followed by industrialized countries, with a focus on sustainable development, and has set up an Expert Group to prepare a strategy on a low-carbon economy.
  • A solar mission has been launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, targeting an installed capacity of 20,000 MW by 2022.
  • India will launch a National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency, aiming to unlock the market for energy efficiency, estimated at over USD 15 billion, and avoid the capacity addition of nearly 20,000 MW and reduced carbon dioxide emissions of almost 99 million tonnes.

Statistics:

  • India has around 22% of its land area under forests.
  • The country's forests sequester 10% of its annual greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The solar mission is targeting an installed capacity of 20,000 MW by 2022.
  • The National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency is estimated to unlock the market for energy efficiency worth over USD 15 billion.
  • The initiative is expected to avoid the capacity addition of nearly 20,000 MW and reduced carbon dioxide emissions of almost 99 million tonnes.

Sources:

  • HT Syndication with permission from United News of India.
  • United News of India