India has asked developed nations that have “enjoyed the fruits of energy” to reach net zero faster so that emerging economies use some “carbon space” to drive growth. ‘Net zero emissions’ refers to achieving an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere. Ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties or COP26 to be held in Scotland, India’s representative to the talks Piyush Goyal said the country will “represent the voice of the developing world” as it fights climate change to ensure a better planet for future generations.
“Developed nations have enjoyed the fruits of energy and they will need to go for net zero faster, so that developing nations have some carbon space. For now there is no adequate technology to absorb large amount of clean energy into grids. There is a need to look at more technology and innovation before we can identify the year (for achieving net zero),” Mr Goyal said.
“India pushed for safeguarding interests of the developing world. For the first time, G20 has identified sustainable and responsible consumption as critical enablers for achieving climate goals,” Mr Goyal said.
In the Rome Declaration that was released after the Summit, under a heading called “Support to vulnerable countries”, the G20 welcomed recent pledges worth around $45 billion, as a step towards a total global ambition of $100 billion of voluntary contributions for countries most in need. What it means is that developed nations of the G20 will work towards a combined $100 billion fund to help emerging economies meet their clean energy targets.
Before Mr Goyal’s address, the summit president Alok Sharma in his opening speech had said the COP26 climate negotiations are the “last, best hope” to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius alive.
The Glasgow gathering, which runs to November 12, comes as an accelerating onslaught of extreme weather events across the world underscores the devastating impacts of climate change from 150 years of burning fossil fuels.
“We know that our shared planet is changing for the worse,” said Mr Sharma at the opening ceremony.
Experts warn that only transformative action in the next 10 years will help stave off far more cataclysmic impacts. COP26 inherits its central goal from the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, which saw countries agree to cap global warming at “well below” 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and 1.5 degree Celsius if possible.
That deal left many crucial details to be worked out, while emissions reductions remain woefully insufficient to avert global warming.
In August a bombshell “code red” report from the world’s top climate science body warned that Earth’s average temperature will hit the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold around 2030, a decade earlier than projected only three years ago. (NDTV)