We know that India is the second most populous nation in the world. In order to meet the needs of this growing population, India is putting large amount of pressure on the natural resources. The carbon emissions and natural resource depletion by the nation is on the high.
In terms of natural resources exploitation, India is among the first ten nations. As it is a developing nation it’s contribution towards controlling these emissions is also limited.
However, realizing it’s global position as one of the leader of developing countries, it has started initiatives towards environment friendly initiatives.
Let us look into such initiatives:
Panchamrit or “five elixirs.”
These are goals laid down by India regarding its climate action. Four out of five of these so-called elixirs are short-term goals that would pave the way for achieving a net-zero emissions target by 2070. The immediate goals are:
- Reaching a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030;
- Fulfilling 50 percent energy requirements via renewable energy by 2030
- Reducing CO2 emissions by 1 million tons by 2030
- Reducing carbon intensity below 45 percent by 2030
- India will achieve net zero by 2070
Net zero goal
India’s announcement that it aims to reach net zero emissions by 2070 and to meet 50% of its electricity requirements from renewable energy sources by 2030 is a hugely significant moment for the global fight against climate change. India is pioneering a new model of economic development that could avoid the carbon-intensive approaches that many countries have pursued in the past – and provide a blueprint for other developing economies.
International solar alliance
The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of 105 signatory countries (81 of whom are members), most being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. This initiative was first proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech in November 2015 at Wembley Stadium (London HA9 0WS, United Kingdom), in which he referred to sunshine countries as Suryaputra (“Sons of the Sun”). The alliance is a treaty-based inter-governmental organization. Countries that do not fall within the Tropics can join the alliance and enjoy all benefits as other members, with the exception of voting rights.
National action plan for climate change
National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) is a Government of India’s programme launched in 2008 to mitigate and adapt to the adverse impact of climate change. The action plan was launched in 2008 with 8 sub-missions. The plan aims at fulfilling India’s developmental objectives with focus on reducing emission intensity of its economy. The plan will rely on the support from the developed countries with the prime focus of keeping its carbon emissions below the developed economies at any point of time.
Indian government has also formulated several new schemes and incorporated climate conscious initiatives in its existing schemes realizing the urge of the hour. Being a large nation, India’s efforts will contribute significantly towards world efforts.
Let us join our hands in the efforts of the nation.
