COP26: Experts call PM Modi’s climate pledges transformative, smart, balanced

PM Modi addressing UN climate change conference 2021 in the UK (Image: Twitter/@narendramodi)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s five key climate commitments including setting up 500 GW of installed non-fossil fuel power capacity by 2030, getting 50 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the same time, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 have got a resounding applause from experts.

At the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Modi also said India would reduce its emissions intensity by close to 45 percent by 2030 and cut 1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030.

Indian environment experts said that while the country has made the right moves and has led from the front at Glasgow, India’s action on the ground will be watched closely. Here is what experts said about India’s commitments and promises for a sustainable future.

Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, International Solar Alliance

“PM Modi cut through the rhetoric and delivered a big promise of climate action from India. Reducing 1 billion tonnes of emissions by 2030 and expanding non-fossils capacity to 500 GW are enormous and transformative steps. Fifty percent of electricity generation from renewable energy sources speaks to India’s leadership and commitment to climate action. The Prime Minister has made bold announcements and led India from the front at the onset of the Glasgow meeting.”

Dr Navroz Dubash, Professor, Centre for Policy Research

The perception of India’s announcement depends on the benchmark used. Most interesting, and promising, are the 2030 energy transition parts of the pledge. The 2070 net-zero target was diplomatically necessary – the last major economy to fall in the basket – but more a box to be checked under diplomatic pressure, and ideally should have been linked to developed countries reaching net-zero before 2050. The net-zero pledge will be much less consequential to what India actually does than the detailed sub-pledges.

Most interesting is the pledge to meet 50 percent of energy (but Mr. Modi probably meant electricity) from renewable sources by 2030. This is important because it means actual electricity generated, not just capacity built. It implies a constraint on the future share of coal power, which becomes a cap when electricity demand plateaus.

Along with Russian, Saudi and Australian pledges, India’s net-zero target shows the weakness of putting too many eggs in the net-zero basket. Countries should be asked to also say exactly what they will do now, not only what they hope to do later. By that benchmark, by providing 2030 details, India has done better than many.

India’s call for $1 trillion finance is essentially a message that accountability is a two-way street; we should count money as carefully as we count emissions. A possible hint of the future is tucked into the details: net zero railways by 2030 signals the promise of transforming India key sector by sector. This is much more administratively and politically acceptable than swallowing the whole carbon pie. India should do more of this.”

Vibhuti Garg, Energy Economist, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis

“India has pledged to increase the share of electricity generation from renewable energy sources to 50 percent by 2030. This would also reduce the emissions intensity of the economy by at least 45 percent from its 2005 levels. India is leading on climate action, it is doing more than its fair share and has now also committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2070.

“India is rightly asking for climate justice and asking developed nations to fulfil their promise of providing tech transfer and finance. In the past, developed nations have failed to fulfil their promises. India wants that expectation of such pledges should be based on principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibility, where the burden of accelerating the energy transition should fall more on the developed world in terms of timeline and that they should also facilitate tech transfer and finance.”

Dr Vaibhav Chaturvedi, Fellow, Council on Energy, Environment and Water

“India’s announcement to turn net-zero is much more ambitious than that of China or the European Union. We, at CEEW, expect this to provide a clear roadmap to Indian and global energy markets and accelerate the pace towards deep decarbonisation and a 1.5 degree C future. This announcement, in line with CEEW's latest report, will also provide a blueprint for India’s transition to a low-carbon economy. By announcing the net-zero year, the Prime Minister has also accorded a red carpet to foreign and domestic investors who want to invest in research and development, manufacturing, and deployment of green technologies in India. India’s efforts, though, will have to be supported by the availability of climate finance from developed countries. Without foreign capital, on concessional terms, this transition will prove to be difficult.”

Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trends

“By announcing a commitment for achieving net-zero targets by 2070, India has responded positively to the global call and it was the best climate action in Glasgow today. The commitment of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy by 2030, which will make renewables much more than the installed capacity of coal currently, should set the stage for a quick transformation of the energy sector, the kind of which hasn’t been witnessed so far. Ensuring that the new energy regime doesn’t bring the pitfalls of the current regime will be fundamental. Solar and wind are poised to emerge as the future in the net-zero world.”

Dr OP Agarwal, CEO, World Resources Institute India

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi… has shown a smart and balanced pathway to ensure that India achieves net-zero emissions by 2070. India is already on its way to increase its non-fossil energy capacity of 450 GW under its domestic commitments. Focusing on 500 GW and 50 percent RE by 2030 is a strategic and achievable ambition. With his vision to place resilience and adaptation at the centre of our development policies and schemes, and the launch of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, India will indeed build a road for climate-smart economic development.”

Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, CEEW:

“India has clearly put the ball in the court of the developed world. This is real climate action. Now India demands $1 trillion in climate finance as soon as possible, and will monitor not just climate action but also climate finance. Most importantly, India has called once again for a change in lifestyle. If we cannot fix how we live, we can’t fix how we live on this planet.”