India has a right to energy but does it need to fire more coal plants?
ByRohit Azad and Shouvik Chakraborty, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Dec 10, 2021 12:44 AM IST
India should channelise energies in negotiating for monetary compensation and technology transfer from the global North.
India has made a commitment to a net-zero target by 2070 at COP26. It may be difficult to pull this off unless necessary steps are taken to shift from coal towards cleaner forms of energy. But, here lies our bind. India has contributed just 3% of cumulative global carbon emissions as opposed to 25% by the US. Since coal is the only fossil fuel we have in abundance, it becomes an easy weapon of resistance against this global climate injustice. Instead of using that weapon, we should channelise our energies in negotiating for monetary compensation and technology transfer from the global North. After all, we need to fight both climate injustice and climate crisis and not privilege one over the other. Five simple charts can explain why India can and should be doing so.
It may be difficult to deliver on India's COP26 commitment of a net-zero target by 2070 unless necessary steps are taken to shift from coal towards cleaner forms of energy.(AP File Photo)