COP26 President Alok Sharma warms up to India's climate action

British-Indian climate minister hopes India commits to a net-zero target by 2050

British-Indian Climate Minister Alok Sharma on Wednesday became the second international leader, after US climate change envoy John Kerry, to laud India’s climate change commitments, including the progressive shift from coal to renewable energy.

Sharma, who is leading preparations for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) to be held in Glasgow in November, this year, flagged Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech, where the PM had reiterated India’s target of 450 gigawatt of renewable power by 2030, and said the speech was "incredibly encouraging".

“I met Prime Minister Modi the last time I was here and we discussed a range of issues from biodiversity to nature. He (Modi) cares deeply about climate change issues,” said Sharma, speaking to a small group of reporters at the end of his visit to New Delhi.

During this visit, he met Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Power Minister R K Singh, and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.

“I have visited most countries around the world, but India is the only country I have visited twice: simply because it is an incredibly important business economy,” he said.

Sharma conceded that the $100-billion mitigation fund for developed countries, promised in 2009 and yet to materialise, was a matter of concern. “I went to Germany and raised this matter in Berlin, as well as in Canada. This (fund) is a matter of trust,” he said.

Sharma especially emphasised the importance of private finance in developing technologies to mitigate the effects of climate change. The UK, he said, was the world’s biggest offshore wind power generator in the world. It had done so by auctioning wind power to the private sector.

“Every country has different strategies with a different energy mix. India is in the process of retiring coal, and the unit prices of renewable are coming down significantly,” he said.

The UK and India are already collaborating on developing technologies for storage of renewable. The National Green Hydrogen Mission announced by the PM on August 15 is a part of that effort.

Sharma hoped the Glasgow meeting would lead to a consensus on limiting the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, this is only possible if India commits to a net-zero target by 2050.

 “We have no time to waste. The recent IPCC report represents a flashing red on the climate emergency dashboard. But, the report also said that the door is still open on keeping global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees, but we need to act now. Minister Bhupender Yadav and I reviewed the issues that were raised at the July ministerial meeting and we agreed to continue to cooperate very closely together to ensure COP26 keeps 1.5 degrees Celsius  within reach,” said Sharma.

But earlier this year, at the IEA-COP26 Net Zero Summit in March, Power Minister R K Singh described net-zero targets as a “pie in the sky”, questioning the actual levels of activity under way to achieve this.

At a recent climate change meeting of the Group of Twenty countries in Naples, India refused to endorse the communiqué issued after the meeting, recording its dissent in a footnote. The minister did not attend a subsequent meeting in London, but Sharma said the presence of the chief negotiator added to the "spirit of cooperation".

There is international pressure on India - the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world - as developed nations set greater ambitious targets. The Biden administration has announced it will reduce emissions by 50-52 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. This was followed by a raft of enhanced 2030-35 targets from the European Union, the UK, and Japan. With each more ambitious emissions reduction proposal, pressure ratchets up on those countries yet to announce targets, including India.

But soon after these announcements, former Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar pointed out that the country’s per capita carbon emissions remain among the lowest globally. India’s position is that on an emission-intensity basis – specifically emission reductions based on gross domestic product per capita - it is the only major economy on track to meet or even exceed the Paris targets. This is partly due to its rapid expansion of renewable power.

Besides, India’s concerns are different: employment, health care, and the expansion of basic services, such as electricity.

For Britain, a successful outcome of the COP26 will be a test of its diplomacy. India is a key element in realising that goal.

Sharma underlined this when he said: “When the UK took on the COP26 Presidency, less than 30 per cent of the global economy was covered by a net-zero target – we’re now at 70 per cent and will continue asking all countries to come forward. I’m encouraged by the progress that we’re making and I’m looking forward to working closely with India and other partners to achieve success at COP26.”