India to go Carbon neutral by 2070, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the adaptation has not received the kind of importance in global climate debate that mitigation has. Modi stressed the need to include climate change adaptation policies in school syllabus to make next generation aware of the issues.He added that it is an injustice to those developing nations that are more impacted by climate change. Addressing the COP26 Summit in Glasgow on Monday evening, Modi said, like in India, the climate is a big challenge for agriculture sector for most developing countries. He also said, from sources of drinking water to affordable housing, all need to be made resilient against climate change. 

Modi announced as part of a five-point action plan that included reducing emissions to 50% by 2030, he also urged developed countries to deliver on their promise of climate financing.  India, Modi said, was the only major economy that delivered its Paris Agreement commitments in “letter and spirit”. He added four more commitments: The country will increase its non-fossil fuel power capacity to 500 gigawatts (GW) by the end of the decade, up from 450GW; half of India’s energy will come from renewable sources by 2030; India’s 2030 carbon intensity goal — measured as carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product — will be increased from 35% to 45%; and the country will also strive to produce half of its electricity using renewable energy and cut carbon-dioxide emissions 1 billion tons from business as usual by 2030.

Delivering the National Statement at the @COP26 Summit in Glasgow. https://t.co/SdKi5LBQNM

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 1, 2021

India has the lowest per capita emissions of the world’s major economies -- emitting 5% of the total, despite accounting for 17% of the world’s population. In absolute terms, India is the fourth largest carbon emitter after China and the US. China has pledged to turn carbon neutral by 2060 while the US and the European Union – as a block, EU nations together account for the third largest volume of emissions – aim to do so by 2050.