India on climate change issues will continue with its resolute actions both domestically and internationally, and walk the talk from a position of strength and responsibility, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said.
He also asserted that the ‘Panchamrit’, announced by the prime minister at the climate summit COP 26, is an agenda for the entire country and all ministries and departments are relevant to its implementation.
Speaking to PTI, Yadav said India had placed adaptation and climate finance at the core of the concerns that it wanted to be articulated at the United Nations‘ global climate conference COP 26 and that his ministry will assess the progress of India’s climate goals by preparing the national inventory of greenhouse gases under the Enhanced Transparency Framework provided by the Paris Agreement.
“We must not forget that our agenda of climate action is not a standalone endeavour. It is part of our larger agenda of development, not just in a short-term sense like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but part of our journey towards not only a climate-resilient but also prosperous, secure and flourishing India, realising our goals as a responsible global power that is home to more than one-sixth of humanity,” he said.
“On climate change issues, we will continue with our resolute actions both domestically and internationally, and walk the talk from a position of strength and responsibility as ever and before,” he said. Yadav said his ministry will ensure adequate synergy and linkage with all government departments towards achieving goals.
“Specific actions will be guided through the PM’s announcements and implemented by our eight national missions and be part of the agenda of schemes, programmes and initiatives of all ministries and departments. There are a variety of such initiatives, including the Railway ministry’s net-zero goal, the Hydrogen Mission, and so on,” he said. “On matters relating to the biosphere, especially forests and other biosphere resources, the environment ministry will carry out its own specific responsibilities in achieving existing NDC goals,” he said.
Reiterating that India was committed to a successful climate summit (COP) that reached credible and relevant decisions, Yadav said the country had placed adaptation and climate finance at the core of the concerns that it wanted to be articulated at COP26.
“On adaptation, developing countries worked together to energize the Global Goal on adaptation agenda, which will now be politically driven and reach some definitive conclusions in the next two years,” he said. He said a number of other steps on adaptation is being taken, building on the achievements of the past few years.
Adaptation finance has now a target (doubling 2019 levels by 2025) and this must be further strengthened quickly, he said, adding that the demand for greater emphasis on adaptation was heard loud and clear at COP26. Stressing that developing countries have made their views clear at the summit, Yadav said India had called for COP26 to turn over a new page on the agenda of climate finance but due to continued reluctance of developed countries to live up to their commitments, “this is still some distance away”.
Talking about climate finance, the minister said COP26 approved an unprecedented decision expressing “regret” on the failure of developed countries to meet their target of mobilising USD 100 billion by 2020. “But the target remains very much on the agenda, to continue at least till 2025. Meanwhile, terms and quantum of long-term finance is also definitely under negotiation and will be pursued actively in the years to come,” he said.
On the takeaways from COP 26, Yadav said COP summits in this era should not be perhaps individually evaluated for their significance.
“They are now part of a consistent, rapid, and committed path that the world must follow to ensure that humanity is safe from the consequences of profligate emission of greenhouse gases by a minority that endangers all. In this sense, COP26 marked the end of a five-year journey to mop up the details of implementing the Paris Agreement, which will guide our actions for some time to come,” he said
Yadav said developed countries create roadblocks in achieving climate goals and push goalposts constantly which must be considered while evaluating the success of summits.
“Every few years, whenever a new direction to proceed has been finally agreed upon, they are pushing a new agenda, a new goal, and always in the future, neglecting their duties, especially their duties in the present,” Yadav said.
The demand for a declaration of net-zero is in this category, though India through the Panchamrit announcements undertook to reassure the world by its own promise of reaching net-zero by 2070, he said. However, India made it repeatedly clear that the path to net-zero is the key, ensuring that the emissions of all countries stay within their fair share of the global carbon budget, which they must use responsibly, Yadav said.He said the agenda ahead must be to convert these discussions into meaningful sharp emissions reduction by developed countries so that they reach net-zero earlier, staying within their fair share of the remaining carbon budget.
“Currently, the US and the EU alone will consume more than 25 percent of the remaining carbon budget for 1.5-degree warming, though they are only 10 percent of humanity. This cannot be the way forward. But if the world has to be safe, we have to make every effort to ensure that the US, the EU, and other developed countries adhere to equity and reach net zero far earlier,” he said.
From India’s perspective, and that of developing countries, the final decision on the “phase down” of coal, invoking also the context of poverty eradication, sustainable development, and just transition, was a good decision, he said, adding that India has indeed defended and succeeded in an equitable outcome.
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