Vows to cut carbon intensity upto 35 pct by 2030
New Delhi : Displaying a commitment to green growth that recognises its responsibilities to make a contribution to the global battle against climate change, India has come up with a plan to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level and to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
It is a huge jump for India, therefore
it is a very ambitious target |
At a media briefing on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar gave the details of this plan submitted to the United Nations as part of India”s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) ahead of the Paris environment conference in November that is expected to finalise the roadmap for the global action plan.
Javadekar recalled the Mahatma’s words the “Earth has enough resources to meet people”s needs, but will never have enough to satisfy people”s greed” to lay out the philosophy that has guided the preparation of this plan. “It is a huge jump for India, therefore it is a very ambitious target. We are much too dependent on fossil fuels now,” the minister while describing the new goals as “comprehensive, fair, ambitious and progressive.”
Climate change has become a major cause of concern globally as the adverse impact is hitting vast swathes of populations increasingly. India the third largest emitter after the United States, and China has been as a reluctant participant in the global exercise to scale down emissions. The rationale being that the damage to the climate has been done by the developed countries, so India does not have the moral responsibility to make any contribution to this cause. But while announcing this plan, Javadekar underscored the change in India”s stance. “We are not a part of the problem, but we shall be the part of the solution,” he said while pointing out that steps towards green growth have been already initiated.
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