India announces plan to slash carbon emissions
As part of the global effort to fight climate change, India has promised to make its economy more energy-efficient and to cut carbon emissions.
As part of the global effort to fight climate change, India has promised to make its economy more energy-efficient and to cut carbon emissions.
India has unveiled a plan to cut carbon emissions by 33 to 35 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 ahead of December's聽United Nations Paris Climate Change Conference聽intended聽to produce a global agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions.聽
In this significant shift, the Indian government has said that it also intends to produce about 40 percent of its electricity in 2030 from 鈥渘on-fossil-fuel based sources鈥� like solar, wind, and hydropower.
As The International Business Times reported:
"India cannot and will not take emission reduction targets because poverty eradication and social and economic development are first and over-riding priorities," a statement on behalf of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh聽said in June 2009.
鈥淚ndia鈥檚 first task is eradication of poverty,鈥� India鈥檚 environment minister Prakash Javadekar told The New York Times last fall. 鈥淭wenty percent of our population doesn鈥檛 have access to electricity, and that鈥檚 our top priority. We will grow faster, and our emissions will rise.鈥�
India is the world鈥檚 third-largest carbon polluter, behind China and the United States. China overtook the United States as the world鈥檚 largest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2007, and has retained that spot ever since.
Last month, the Obama administration announced new rules aimed at reducing carbon-dioxide emissions from existing power plants to 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Last year China, pledged to cut emissions by 2030聽through聽improved enforcement efforts聽and by increasing its use of聽renewable, zero-emission energy sources聽to 20 percent of its total energy budget.聽
Pledges to cut emissions are rolling in from most聽major economies, but聽how much will the proposed changes actually limit聽warming?
According to The New York Times: