In his speech, PM Modi offered five climate goals that India would pursue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised many at the Glasgow Climate Summit by setting a 2070 net-zero target for the country, but it is the ambitious goals that come before that date that can determine the country’s green success.
In his speech, PM Modi offered five climate goals that India would pursue, four of them set for the end of the decade. Here’s a look at how they measure up to the country’s 2015 goals:
add image caption here
half clean
The most ambitious of the five goals is the country’s goal of getting half of its energy requirement from renewable sources by 2030. Reaching that figure would mean a substantial expansion to replace coal for electricity, as well as petroleum fuels used in transportation or cooking. renewable energy. Coal, oil and natural gas now account for 75% of energy use.
“Surcing 50% of primary energy needs from renewables would be a tall order,” said Debashish Mishra, Mumbai-based partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. “With contributions from other non-fossil sources, such as hydropower and nuclear, it may be possible to reach that share in electricity generation.”
Renewables ramp-up?
India’s target of reaching 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030 is slightly different from its current target of 450 GW from renewable sources by the same year.
The original renewable target does not include large hydroelectric dams or nuclear plants, which would count toward non-fossil fuel sources. They both have already aligned for 53 GW, according to government figures, with more projects already under construction.
According to Shantanu Jaiswal, head of BloombergNEF in India, “the goal of building 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 is a re-evaluation of the current target.”
emission intensity
India will reduce emissions intensity per unit of GDP by 45% by the end of the decade, PM Modi said, after committing to reduce it by 33-35% from 2005 levels during the Paris summit.
The country has made rapid progress in this area and policymakers have often spoken of exceeding the Paris target. Former Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in June that the emissions intensity of India’s economy has already dropped by more than 24% from 2005 levels.
1 billion tons
India will cut carbon dioxide emissions from trade as usual by 1 billion tonnes by the end of the decade, PM Modi said. He pointed to the country’s vast railway network – which runs mainly on diesel or coal-fired electricity – with plans to turn net zero by 2030, an exercise that could hit 60 million tonnes a year. will help reduce emissions.
To curb emissions, the country is planning to mandate the use of green hydrogen in industries such as petroleum refineries and fertilisers, while the power ministry is planning to mandate minimum use of green energy in other industries.
State-run refiners and fuel retailers have also launched an ambitious plan to fast-track electric vehicle charging in fuel stations, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
net zero by 2070
With India vowing to reach zero by 2070, all of the world’s biggest emitters are committed to becoming carbon neutral, even as Modi’s surprise announcement deflects months of international pressure and more recognition of his near-term achievements. Have come after asking for it.
Still, PM Modi reiterated the country’s position that the developed world has failed to keep its promise of supplying adequate climate finance to developing economies to help them in their clean energy transition.
Mr Mishra of Deloitte said, “India has managed to back down on earlier demands to set a net zero target and set itself a target it can achieve.”
.