Cabinet approves India’s new climate targets incorporating PM Modi’s ‘Panchamrit’ strategy

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved India’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) incorporating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Panchamrit’ strategy announced at the Glasgow conference on enhanced climate targets.

Under the updated NDC, India now commits to reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030 from 2005 levels, and to achieving around 50% of the cumulative capacity of electrical energy installed from energy resources not based on fossil fuels by 2030. .

NDCs are national plans and pledges made by a country to meet the goal of keeping global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while aiming for 1.5 degrees Celsius to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

At the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last November, Modi had announced that India’s non-fossil energy capacity will reach 500 GW in 2030.

He said India will meet 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable energy sources by 2030 and reduce its projected total carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes this year.

India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 percent from 2005 levels and achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2070, Modi said.

The five point agenda is called ‘Panchamrit’ (five elements of nectar).

Net zero means achieving a balance between the greenhouse gases introduced into the atmosphere and those removed.

“The updated NDC seeks to enhance India’s contributions to the achievement of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, as agreed under the Paris Agreement. “This action it will also help India introduce low-emission growth pathways. It would protect the country’s interests and safeguard its future development needs based on the principles and provisions of the UNFCCC,” the cabinet said in a statement.

This update of India’s existing NDC translates the ‘Panchamrit’ announced at COP 26 into enhanced climate targets. The upgrade is also a step towards achieving India’s long-term goal of reaching net zero by 2070, he said.

India had submitted its NDCs to the UNFCCC on October 2, 2015. It comprises eight targets; of which three have quantitative targets until 2030: the cumulative installed capacity of electrical energy from non-fossil sources reaches 40%; reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 33 to 35 percent compared to 2005 levels and creating an additional carbon store of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of CO2 equivalent through forests and tree canopies additional

The approval also advances the Prime Minister’s vision for sustainable lifestyles and climate justice to protect the poor and vulnerable from the adverse impacts of climate change.

The updated NDC says: “Propose and further propagate a healthy and sustainable way of life based on the traditions and values ​​of conservation and moderation, including through a mass movement for ‘LIFE’ – ‘Lifestyle for the environment’ as the key to combating climate change”.

The decision on enhanced NDCs demonstrates India’s commitment at the highest level to decouple economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, the Cabinet said.

India’s updated NDC has been prepared after careful consideration of our national circumstances and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC).

The updated NDC also reaffirms India’s commitment to work towards a low-carbon pathway, while striving to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The CBDR-RC recognizes the different capacities and different responsibilities of individual countries to address climate change. -PTI

This report is automatically generated from the PTI news service. ThePrint is not responsible for its content.

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