‘India slashed GHG emissions by 7.93% in 2020’
Prime Minister of Guyana, Brigadier Mark Phillip and Marina Silva, minister of environment and climate change, Brazil were also present on this occasion.
In 2020 alone, India slashed its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 7.93%—a testament to its commitment to climate action, Bhupender Yadav, Union minister for environment, forest and climate change said in his inaugural address today at the World Sustainable Development Summit 2025 on Wednesday.
“The Global South is driving the climate agenda, and the world now looks to India as a leader. In 2020 alone, India slashed its GHG emissions by 7.93%—a testament to its commitment to climate action,” he said.
In its fourth biennial report to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in January, India informed that the total national GHG emissions decreased by 7.93% with respect to 2019 and increased by 98.34% since 1994. The country has progressively decoupled its economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the emission intensity of gross domestic product (GDP) by 36% between 2005 and 2020, it said in the report submitted to UNFCCC.
Experts have earlier suggested that the reduction in GHG emissions in 2020 may also have been contributed by Covid-19’s impact on the economy. The global pandemic severely impacted India’s population, its link to global supply chains, and its economy. This included a contraction of the Indian economy by 7.7% in 2020- 21. Subsequently, the Government of India undertook various measures to combat the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and to revive economic growth, the report said.
Prime Minister of Guyana, Brigadier Mark Phillip and Marina Silva, minister of environment and climate change, Brazil were also present on this occasion.
He also said India as a global climate leader is committed to ensuring that climate action remains inclusive, ambitious, and collaborative.
Yadav emphasised that the Global South, including India, is essential in shaping climate discourse, as it faces the brunt of climate change impacts while also offering solutions rooted in sustainable development practices. He called on developed countries to honour their financial and technological commitments, especially in fulfilling their obligations under the Paris Agreement. He underscored the need for enhanced international cooperation in strengthening Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), ensuring they address both the challenges and opportunities of climate action.
Yadav called for pressing increased climate adaptation finance. He called for more robust financial support for adaptation, ensuring that the most vulnerable regions are able to implement solutions that build resilience and safeguard livelihoods.
Yadav outlined India’s long-term vision to become a Viksit Bharat by 2047, with a target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. He highlighted India’s progress, including the 36% reduction in emission intensity of GDP between 2005 and 2020 compared to the 45% target for 2030, and the Union Budget of 2025’s emphasis on energy security, expanding clean energy capacity, and fostering domestic manufacturing of green technologies. He emphasised that the fight against climate change cannot be fragmented.
The Minister called for reforms in global governance, urging the international community to place equity and justice at the heart of climate negotiations.
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