India will exceed targets under Paris agreement: Modi
NEW DELHI: India is on course to exceed its targets under the Paris agreement on climate change and aims to create 450 GW of renewable energy capacity and restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.
Addressing the virtual Climate Adaptation Summit convened by the Netherlands, Modi said India will create new capacities for tackling climate change that will be “an agent for global good”. “Climate adaptation is more significant today than ever before. And it is a key element of India’s developmental efforts,” he said. “We have promised ourselves that we will not just meet our Paris agreement targets, but exceed them; we will not just arrest environmental degradation but reverse it; and we will not just create new capacities but make them an agent for global good. Our actions show our commitment.”
India has a target of creating 450 GW of renewable energy capacity and restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, and the country is promoting LED lights and saving 38 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, he said.
Clean cooking fuel is being provided to 80 million rural households and 64 million households are being connected to piped water supply.
“And our initiatives have not been restricted to India alone. The International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) show the power of global climate partnership,” he said, calling on the Global Commission on Adaptation to work with CDRI to enhance global infrastructure resilience. India is also set to host the third international conference on disaster resilient infrastructure this year.
Modi said India’s civilisational values highlight the importance of living in harmony with nature, and the ancient scripture Yajurveda teaches people their relationship with the earth is that of a mother and a child. “If we take care of mother earth, she will continue to nurture us. To adapt to climate change, our lifestyles must also adapt to this ideal,” he said.
The online Climate Adaptation Summit, hosted by the Netherlands from January 25-26, will bring together global leaders and local stakeholders and will witness the launch of a comprehensive “adaptation action agenda” that sets clear commitments for concrete new endeavours and partnerships to make the world more resilient to climate change.