HT interview | Consensus calls for urgent action based on national circumstances: Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav
The UAE has identified and upheld that all transitions, globally, depend on national circumstances and climate contributions, says the minister.
India is satisfied with the outcome of COP28 in Dubai, Union environment minister, Bhupender Yadav who represented India at the negotiations said.The UAE Consensus has identified and upheld that all transitions, globally, depend on national circumstances and the climate contributions of countries under the Paris Agreement are nationally-determined in nature, Yadav added in an interview to the Hindustan Times, where he also spoke about Para 28 of the UAE Consensus which refers to pathways through which the 1.5 degree goal can be met like tripling of renewable energy globally by 2030 and transitioning away from fossil fuels. Edited excerpts:
How does the UAE Consensus affect India? How will it help us transition?
The agreement has avowed its commitment to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty. More importantly, it has factored in India’s position that climate action must be based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), in the light of different national circumstances.
The UAE Consensus has identified and upheld that all transitions, globally, depend on national circumstances and climate contributions under the Paris Agreement are nationally-determined.
Speaking at the COP Summit during a Session on ‘Transforming Climate Finance’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined that all countries of the Global South, including India, have contributed little to climate change. At COP28, India emphasized the importance of promoting equity and leveraging requisite actions and support in the future pathways for tackling the climate crisis.
If you look at the Global Stocktake document, it expresses the commitment to “accelerate action in this critical decade on the basis of the best available science, reflecting equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty”.
It reiterates that finance, capacity-building and technology transfer are critical enablers of climate action.
A significant outcome of COP28 is the operationalisation of Loss and Damage Fund. As a voice of the Global South, this had been one of our major demands. We are happy to see it through as a means to help nations most in need.
I am also happy to note that the Prime Minister has moved a proposal to host COP33 in 2028 in India.
The text provides room for transitional fuels. How does that help India?
PM Modi has said India’s future development would be based on three pillars for green growth and energy transmission. First, increasing the production of renewable energy. Second, reducing the use of fossil fuel in the economy. And third, moving towards a “gas-based economy” in the country.
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Globally, India already stands fourth in terms of installed renewable energy capacity, installed wind capacity and installed solar capacity. However, the global stocktake highlights the needs of the developing countries and that support must be provided to developing countries to aid their clean energy transitions.
The transition to low carbon economy while continuously weathering climate-induced events and disasters is a costly affair, requiring new, additional and climate-specific financial resources.
The finance provisions of global goal on adaptation are very weak.
The UAE Consensus calls for urgent, incremental, transformational and country-driven adaptation action based on different national circumstances.
India has been continuously highlighting two major concerns of the global south – technology and climate finance.
In his address at COP28 on December 1, PM Modi said India hopes that UAE’s Climate Finance Framework initiative will be real progress on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. Second, that there will be no reduction in Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Adaptation Fund, and that this fund will be replenished immediately. And third, that Multilateral Development Banks will provide affordable finance for development as well as climate action.
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At G20, held under India’s Presidency, it was agreed that the climate finance requirement will be to the tune of trillions of dollars by 2030. And that this should be available, accessible and affordable.
The Adaptation Gap Report 2023 finds that the adaptation finance needs of developing countries are 10-18 times as large as international public finance flows. This is over 50% higher than the previous range estimate.
The agreement too highlights the growing gap between the needs of developing countries and the support provided and mobilized for their efforts to implement their nationally determined contributions, highlighting that such needs are currently estimated at $ 5.8–5.9 trillion for the pre-2030 period.
It also says that developed countries shall provide financial resources to assist developing countries with respect to both mitigation and adaptation in continuation of their existing obligations and that other countries are encouraged to provide or continue to provide such support voluntarily.
GST also highlights that financial pledges are far short of what is needed to support developing countries with clean energy transitions, implementing their national climate plans and adaptation efforts. In order to deliver such funding, it underscores the importance of reforming the multilateral financial architecture, and accelerating the ongoing establishment of new and innovative sources of finance.
On NCQG, as demanded by India, COP28 decided the modalities and the mandate to the ad hoc work programme to arrive at a draft negotiating text before COP29 so that a decision is taken in 2024. So that is forward movement. Similar progress has been made on replenishment of GCF, which is an ongoing process and the amount is now greater than its previous replenishment. On the adaptation fund also the pledges have been made.
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The agreement notes with deep regret that the goal of developed country Parties to mobilize jointly $ 100 billion per year by 2020 in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation was not met in 2021.
Will India update its NDC to make it economy wide and 1.5 degree aligned?
India submitted its updated NDC on 26th August 2022, translating the ‘Panchamrit’ targets announced by the Prime Minister PM at COP-26 (December 2021). The enhanced NDC covers 2021- 2030 and is a step towards achieving India’s long term goal of net zero by 2070.
Additionally, we have also shared our Third National Communication with UNFCCC based on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory of 2019 along with Initial Adaptation Communication.
India is one among 26 developing countries which have submitted their communication based on GHG inventory of 2019 or later.
Between the 2015 Paris Agreement and COP28 , India made significant strides towards combating climate change through a multi-pronged, multi-sectoral approach. India is proud to have achieved the original target of reduction of emission intensity by 33-35% over 2005 level by 2030 almost 11 years in advance.
During 2005 to 2019, an additional carbon sink of 1.97 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent has been created. We are well on track to achieve the target of creation of additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes through tree and forest cover by 2030.
India’s share of non-fossil sources based installed capacity of electricity generation in 2023 is more than 41%. India achieved its NDC of 40% cumulative electrical power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy sources in 2021, a full nine years ahead of the target date of 2030.
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The Communication shared by India underscores our consistent contribution towards climate action while also prioritising the developmental aspirations of our 1.4 billion people. It mentions that India’s GDP between 2005 to 2019 has grown with Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 7%, whereas the emissions grew at a CAGR of about 4%. i.e., the rate of growth of emissions is lower than the rate of growth of our GDP. This shows that India has successfully continued to decouple its economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in the reduction of the emission intensity of its GDP by 33% between 2005 and 2019.
What are your views on para 28? Does it reflect differentiation?
The COP Presidency, has spared no effort in trying to ensure that our work and decisions promote differentiation. However, equity means that we must account for the development needs of the majority of the world’s population despite the challenge of climate change. Realising Sustainable Development Goals means we must ensure food, nutrition, energy and livelihoods security for all ‘leaving no one behind’. Developing countries face the challenge of achieving this despite the impacts of climate change.
The crux is that transition has to happen in a nationally determined manner, taking into account the Paris Agreement and their different national circumstances, pathways and approaches.
At COP28, PM Modi said “Climate Finance and technology are essential to meet the aspirations of the Global South”. He underlined that countries of the Global South expect developed countries to help them as much as possible to combat climate change. This, the PM added, “is both natural and justified”.
In India, we have done more than our fair share of climate action. We remain committed to furthering our efforts towards a green, healthier planet. We are taking economy and ecology along.
And we will stay the course.