PM responds obliquely to allegation of increasing coal use in India; claims leadership in countering carbon emissions
PM Modi with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at COP28. Photo: @narendramodi / X Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 1, 2023, offered to host the 33rd Conference of Parties (COP33) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in India.
The PM also sought to portray himself as a foremost global leader in countering climate change in front of nearly 200 world leaders gathered at the ongoing COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
India has hosted the UNFCCC COP once previously. COP8 was held from October 23-November 1, 2002, in New Delhi. Then too, the National Democratic Alliance was in power under the leadership of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
COP33, to be held in 2028, will be a critical summit. That is when the next round of global stocktake (GST) review, after the ongoing COP, is scheduled as per the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Modi also proposed to extend India’s Green Credit Initiative that was set into motion in October this year.
He also referred to another pet project of his, the Mission LiFE movement (Lifestyle for the Environment). It was launched in 2022 before Modi showcased it at COP26 in Glasgow later that year.
The prime minister also sought to become the voice of the Global South by demanding that all developing countries get a fair share in the carbon budget.
In his speech of over 10 minutes, Modi tried to respond, albeit indirectly, to the allegation from a section of the Global North about promoting coal, and hence, carbon emissions.
The PM pointed out that India contributes less than four per cent to global carbon emissions and is one of the few countries on track to achieve its NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution).
The NDCs are considered pivots to keep global emissions within a manageable limit. The Paris Agreement vouched to keep global temperature rise within 2 degree Celsius (°C), preferably 1.5°C, to minimise climate change-induced global impacts.
But recent global reports indicate that the 1.5°C target is likely to be breached soon unless all countries start making more ambitious and deep carbon emission cuts.
“India has presented a fine model of balancing economy and ecology … our share of global carbon emission is less than 4 per cent while we have 17 per cent of the world’s population,” Modi, part of the inaugural session, said in his speech delivered just after the speeches of the COP28 president and UNFCCC secretary general.
“We are among select global economies on course to achieve their NDC targets,” said the PM.
He reminded that India had achieved its emission intensity reduction target 11 years before schedule while the non-fossil fuel target was achieved nine years before schedule.
“We are not stopping at this and aim to bring emission intensity down by 45 per cent, and increase the share of non-fossil fuel capacity to 50 per cent; and will achieve net zero by 2070,” added Modi.
The prime minister co-hosted a high-level event on the Green Credits Programme (GCP) at COP28 with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE.
Modi claimed that under India’s G20 presidency, climate change got high priority and a green development pact for a sustainable future could be stitched through consensus.
He also said India played a key role in tripling the renewable energy production globally, focused on hydrogen as an alternate fuel and launched the Global Biofuel Alliance. The PM took credit for increasing the global finance commitments to reach trillions from billions.
“In Glasgow, I presented before you the vision of Mission LiFE. Now, as per an International Energy Agency study, this approach can help us reduce carbon emissions by two billion tonnes annually by 2030,” said Modi before proposing another new initiative to be taken up at the global level.
“Today, I call for another pro-planet, proactive initiative on green credits, a mass campaign that goes beyond the commercial mindset associated with carbon credits; it focuses on creating sinks through public participation,” he said.
The GCP, notified on October 13 this year in India, is an innovative market-based mechanism designed to incentivise voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors by all stakeholders including individuals, communities and private sector industries.
PM Modi’s offer on COP33 has to go through UN protocol and procedures before an official announcement can be made. However, climate experts at COP28 said the scheduling must have been unofficially discussed before the PM made his offer on a global platform.
“His offer to host COP33 in five years is a diplomatic masterstroke, given the mood of the climate discussions in Dubai,” said Aarti Khosla, director, Climate Trends.
“The fact that the podium was offered to the prime minister is testimony to India’s changing geopolitical clout and linked to its long-standing economic partnership with the UAE,” Khosla added.
Sanjay Vashist, director of Climate Action Network South Asia, also hailed the COP proposal as “significant”. But he pointed out that India has to walk the talk on its commitments and show actual leadership on the ground in cutting fossil fuels.
“COP33 in 2028 is critical as it is the next Asian COP and also the time for the next GST review after this year as per the 2015 Paris Agreement,” the expert said.
Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy, Climate Action Network International said India’s energy growth story can serve as a powerful example for the world.
Another climate expert pointed out that the prime minister’s claims on the global platform need to have a link to realities back home.
“Global reports say India is one of the toppers in terms of climate risk, both in terms of mortality scale as well as financial loss. Huge populations in several states particularly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal are at the forefront of frequent climate disasters. But what are we doing at the national level to combat the trend? What is our national budget allocation in countering climate risk?” asked the expert, not wanting to be named.
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