New Delhi: India has realised in recent years that economic growth does not have to rely on high carbon emissions and its solar mission and 2030 renewable energy target are highly ambitious, said Helen Clarkson, Chief Executive Officer of the international non-profit Climate Group.
The Climate Group hosts Climate Week NYC, a leading global climate event which brings together leaders from the world of business, technology, politics, academia and civil society.
Clarkson also said that while India has a net-zero target (balancing emissions with removals) for 2070, there is a need for greater ambition.
She suggested that India should align with other countries in moving its net-zero goal forward.
Countries are required to submit their next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), or climate plans, for the 2031-2035 period this year.
The collective aim of these climate plans is to limit global temperature rise since the start of the industrial revolution to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the key goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Clarkson said that India has realised that economic growth can be achieved without relying on fossil fuels and the success of the National Solar Mission demonstrates that economic and climate goals can be pursued together.
“What has changed in India in the last few years is a better understanding that economic growth does not have to be high carbon, and particularly, the solar mission has been very successful,” she said.
India, the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter and the fastest growing major economy, has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2070 and aims to achieve 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
