New Delhi, Sep 28: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Space and Atomic Energy, Dr Jitendra Singh on Thursday said India is committed to achieving the “Net Zero” emissions target by 2070.
Delivering a keynote address at the “Global Sustainability Alliance” meet, organised by the Times Group here, Dr Jitendra said, “We are fully committed to contributing to attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by way of Research and Innovation through international collaboration and partnerships.”
He said India is set to achieve its short -term and long-term targets under the Panchamrit action plan like reaching a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030; fulfilling at least half of its energy requirements via renewable energy by 2030; reducing CO2 emissions by 1 billion tons by 2030; reducing carbon intensity below 45 percent by 2030; and finally pave the way for achieving a Net-Zero emission target by 2070.
The union minister said the Mission Innovation (MI) and International Solar Alliance, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi were announced at COP21 in 2015 when the United Nations has conferred on him ‘The Champions of Earth Award 2018.’
Dr Singh said the Government of India through public-private partnerships is ensuring the funding for clean energy innovations as envisioned under Mission Innovation 2.0. He said the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) setup has been able to provide a unique opportunity for India to showcase its contribution to clean energy development nationally and internationally.
Referring to the G20 Summit earlier this month, Dr Jitendra said the New Delhi Declaration committed itself to implementing India’s initiative of ‘Lifestyle for Environment Mission’ (LiFE) and promoting Artificial Intelligence towards achieving the UN SDGs. By adopting the ‘Green Development Pact,’ G-20 has also reaffirmed its commitments to sustainable and green growth, he said.
The union minister said that the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) to be led by India, Brazil and the United States, as leading biofuel producers and consumers, will greatly help achieve the MDG Goals of India turning Net Zero by 2070.
Dr Jitendra said India stands at the forefront of addressing the global challenge of Climate Change and has committed to ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of reducing emission intensity by 33-35% in 2030 against the levels of the year 2005.
The last nine years have witnessed the Indian crusade against climate change, he said, adding, “We have already achieved our commitment of 40% energy production from renewable sources, way ahead of the 2030 Paris Agreement target.”
The union minister reiterated that India is implementing the largest Renewable Energy (RE) expansion program in the world, envisaging a 5-fold increase in the overall RE capacity. He said India has developed a roadmap and a strategy for a Bio-based economy which is inching towards 150 billion USD by the year 2025.
