In Climate Change Noise, India’s Role As Conductor

Context: U.S. President’s ‘Leaders’ Summit on Climate’ and the growing global enthusiasm on target of ‘net-zero emissions’ by 2050 calls for India to introduce values of equity, differentiation and justice in the climate debate.

Issues with Net-Zero emissions target

• Focuses on short term targets: To only focus on short term targets and delegitimise the long term targets poses hurdles in the path to decarbonisation.
  • The improvements in energy efficiency and fast penetration of electric vehicles are among India’s critical low­-carbon objectives, yet, rapid advances in these do not substitute for the need to set a clear direction of travel with the aim to reduce emissions to net-­zero.
• Climate injustice: between developing and developed nations.
  • As per the recent Council on Energy, Environment and Water report, today’s high-income countries would still have a much longer transition period between peaking emissions and net-zero than India would get.

India’s prospect in the climate leadership debate

• Upholding short-term and long-term vision: Measurable near-term progress essential for on-ground progress yet a clear long-term necessary for the certainty of approach.
• Reframe net-zero emissions target debates on climate justice: Implying that humanity shall respect the planetary boundary of permissible greenhouse gases and equitable responsibility of countries based on their past and future emissions.
  • This approach will be different from merely blaming developed coun­tries for historical emissions.
  • Instead, it would establish the criteria by which economic advancement and climate responsibility could go hand-­in-­hand.
  • Linking per capita income with emissions: For E.g. Set 20 years as target countries needed to achieve net-zero emissions after reaching World Bank’s high-income economy criteria of gross national per capita income of $12,536 or more in 2019 prices.
    • Target years: 2035-40 for U.S. and European Union, 2045 for China (China reaches high-income levels by 2025) and 2070 for India (India expected to reach high-income levels by 2050).
• Accommodating aggregate emissions: Aggregate emissions of each country, not yet in the high-income category, shall aim to be progressively smaller than those which have achieved high-income status.
  • This approach acknowledges the potential to tap into techno­logical advances and cost reductions and reinforces the need to give a long­-term net-­zero signal.
  • This will also create the conditions for further innovation and investment in climate­friendly infrastructure, technologies, business models, and lifestyle and behavioural changes.