Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that India will achieve net zero emissions latest by 2070, said at the COP26 summit in Glasgow on November 1, 2021. The UK is hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021.
Until November 1, India was the only major emitter that had not committed to a timeline to achieve net zero, or a year by which it would ensure its net carbon dioxide emissions would be zero.
‘Panchamrita’ concoction for climate conundrum at Glasgow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a five-fold strategy for India to play its part in helping the world get closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius on the first day of the global climate meet in Glasgow. The prime minister euphemistically termed his scheme as ‘Panchamrita’ meaning the ‘five ambrosia’.
Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Panchamrita’ promises include:
- By 2030, India will ensure 50 per cent of its energy will be sourced from renewable sources.
- India will reduce its carbon emissions until 2030 by a billion tonnes.
- India will also reduce its emissions intensity per unit of GDP by less than 45%.
- India would also install systems to generate 500 gigawatt of renewable energy by 2030, a 50 GW increase from its existing target.
- India will achieve net zero by 2070.
