Lok Sabha Question No. 750 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-07
Subject: Conference on Climate Change
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Dr. T. Sumathy (a) Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 750

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2022

## Conference on Climate Change

## 750. DR. T. SUMATHY (a)THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN: SHRI SAPTAGIRI SANKAR ULAKA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Union Government has submitted any agenda and research papers in the recent UN Climate Change Conference COP26 held at Glasgow and if so, the details thereof and the major decision taken in COP26;
- (b) whether  India  being  one  of  the  largest  emitter  of  carbon  dioxide  and  green  house gases  was  directed  by  UN  COP26  to  adhere  to  certain  major  changes  in  their Transport  Policy  and  Energy  Sector  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  effective measures taken by the Government to curb the prevailing environmental issues and problems;
- (c) the total estimated expenditure and the funds to be allocated, in the next five years to combat major environmental issues in the country;
- (d) whether at  the  COP26  summit  in  Glasgow,  it  has  been  pledged  to  reduce  the  total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonne between now and 2030 and if so, the basis of this pledge; and
- (e) whether the Land use, Land-use change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector is expected to contribute  to  this  reduction  and  if  so,  the  share  of  reduction  in  the  total  projected emissions expected to come from the this sector?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)  The  Government  of  India  has  articulated  and  put  across  the  concerns  of  developing countries at the 26 th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Glasgow, United Kingdom. As a part of its overall approach, India emphasized the foundational principles of equity, and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities and called for climate justice  in  global  climate  action.  It  also  highlighted  that  all  countries  should  have  equitable access to the global carbon budget, a finite global resource, for keeping temperature increase within the limits set by the Paris Agreement. All countries must stay within their fair share of this  global  carbon  budget  while  using  it  responsibly.  India    alsocalled    on  the  developed countries to undertake rapid reductions in emissions during the current decade so as to reach net-zero much earlier than their announced dates, as they have used more than their fair share of the depleting global carbon budget.

India  also  highlighted  that  the  transfer  of  climate  finance  and  low-cost  climate technologies have become more important for the implementation of climate actions by the developing  countries.  The  ambition  on  climate  finance  on  the  part  of  developed  countries cannot  remain  same  as  it  was  at  the  time  of  the  Paris  Agreement  in  2015.  It  was  also emphasized  that  just  as  the  UNFCCC  tracks  the  progress  made  in  climate  mitigation,  it should also track climate finance.

Further,  India  presented  the  following  five  nectar  elements (Panchamrit) of  India's climate action:

- (i) Reach 500GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.
- (ii) 50 per cent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.
- (iii) Reduction of total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now to 2030.
- (iv) Reduction of the carbon intensity  of the  economy  by  45  per  cent  by  2030,  over 2005 levels.
- (v) Achieving the target of net zero emissions by 2070.

The major decisions at COP26, as reflected in the 'Glasgow Climate Pact', pertain to mitigation, adaptation and finance required for meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

(b)  All  decisions  at  the  annual  Conference  of  Parties  of  the  UNFCCC  are  arrived  at  by consensus and hence the question of India being directed  to  undertake any  action  by  such decisions does not arise. India, for its part, abides by commitments to the UNFCCC in letter and  spirit.  India  with  more  than  17%  of  the  global  population  has  contributed  only  about 4.37%  of  the  global  cumulative  greenhouse  gas  emissions  between  1850  and  2019.  Even though we are not part of the problem, India is committed to being part  the solution and has done far more than its fair share. The Government stands committed to combating climate change through its several programs and schemes.India's commitment to emission intensity reduction of the economy isan economy-wide target and not specific to any sectors including transport and Land Use, Land Use Change,and Forestry (LULUCF) sectors.

The  Government  is  implementing  the  National  Action  Plan  on  Climate  Change (NAPCC),which is the overarching policy framework and comprises of national missions in specificareas of solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, water, agriculture, Himalayan ecosystem,sustainable habitat, green India and strategic knowledge on climate change. Further, 33States/Union Territories have prepared State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs)consistent with the objectives of NAPCC.

(c)  The  total  expenditure  required  for  dealing  with  environmental  issues  as  well  as  the allocation thereof are determined according to the extant norms and procedures followed by the Government for budgeting and financial allocation.

(d)and (e) India announced that by 2030 it would reduce one billion tonne from its projected cumulative  emissions.  It  is  estimated  that  such  reductions  will  result  from  a  variety  of mitigation efforts undertaken in different sectors of the economy including, LULUCF. Many such  efforts  are  underway  and  include,  inter-alia  initiatives  to  accelerate  the  renewable energy  transition,  decarbonisation  of  transport  and  adoption  of  electric  mobility,etc.  The government has announced the launch of the National Hydrogen  Mission with the goal to make India a global hub for Green Hydrogen production and export.

The Government, under the Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme, notified production linked incentive  scheme  for  manufacturing  advanced  chemistry  cells  and  for  automobiles  &auto components. India has leapfrogged from Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) to Bharat Stage-VI (BSVI)  emission  norms  by  April  1,  2020,  which  was  earlier  to  be  adopted  by  2024.  India's current share of non-fossil sources based installed capacity of electricity generation is more than 40%. Under Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme, a total of 36.79 croresLED bulbs have been distributed to enhance energy  efficiency  as  on  date.  India  has announced a voluntary vehicle scrapping policy to phase out old and unfit vehicles, which will  help  in  encouraging  fuel-efficient  and  environment-friendly  vehicles.  Indian  Railways has  taken  a  number  of  initiatives  including  setting  up  Dedicated  Freight  Corridors,  further railway electrification, improving energy efficiency in traction, and increasing the share of renewable energy. Indian Railways has set a target of making itself 'net zero' by 2030. The effects of all such intiatives will enable us to meet the pledge of one billion tonne reduction from projected cumulative emissions by 2030.

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