Climate action must ensure priorities of Global South not compromised: PM

Advocating for strong global cooperation against climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it must be ensured that these actions don't compromise the development priorities of the Global South.

Prime Minister Modi who is in Dubai for the COP28 Climate Summit spoke to UAE-based newspaper Aletihad, saying that India is the only country that is on track to achieving its National Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Regarding climate finance, PM Modi said that he has always maintained that climate change is a collective challenge that demands a unified global response

"It is essential to recognise that developing countries have not contributed in the creation of the problem. Yet developing countries are willing to be a part of the solution," he added.

"But, they cannot contribute without access to the financing and technology needed...I have therefore advocated strongly for global cooperation for ensuring requisite climate financing and technology transfer," PM Modi further said.

Prime Minister stressed that as nations pursue climate action, it must be based on equity, climate justice, shared obligations and shared capacities.

"By adhering to these principles, we can forge a path toward a sustainable future that leaves no one behind," he said. He further stressed that "we must ensure that development priorities of the Global South are not compromised".

PM Modi also elaborated on multiple initiatives being carried out by India in the direction.

Mission Lifestyle for Environment (Mission LiFE), is an initiative to motivate the world to adopt an environmentally friendly lifestyle, Aletihad reported.

"We have launched a Global Mission on sustainable lifestyles - 'LiFE, Lifestyle for Environment' - that promotes sustainable consumption lifestyle changes and circular economy principles," PM Modi said.

He added, "My call for Mission LiFE is based on a belief that a mass movement of pro-planet lifestyles and choices can have a significant contribution towards global climate action".

India has also conceptualised a mechanism to incentivise voluntary, pro-planet actions that can effectively respond to climate change, termed the "Green Credit Initiative".

India announced its National Green Hydrogen Mission in January 2023, with the aim to become a global hub for the production, utilisation, and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives. Recently, New Delhi also agreed to establish a joint Hydrogen Task Force to help scale up technologies, with a special focus on green hydrogen production.

PM Modi said that the country has a targeted production of 5 MMTPA of green hydrogen by 2030.

Prime Minister Modi said that the National Green Hydrogen Mission requires 80 GW of electrolyser capacity and 125 GW of renewable energy, with an estimated total investment of around USD 100 billion.

He further urged the "friends from the UAE, who already have substantial investments in India's renewable energy sector, to invest in the green hydrogen sector in India".

Prime Minister Modi emphasised that climate action was one of the priority subjects during India's G20 presidency and was properly addressed in the New Delhi G20 Summit.

"I am happy that during the recent New Delhi G20 Summit, this aspect has been properly addressed, including through a recognition of the need to rapidly and substantially scale up investment and climate finance from billions to trillions of dollars globally from all sources," PM Modi noted.

He said that during India's G20 Presidency, the country ensured that particular attention was paid to climate change and climate action, reflected in the G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration.

These include the Green Development Pact, the G20 2023 Action Plan on Accelerating Progress of SDGs, the High-Level Principles of Lifestyles for Sustainable Development, the High-Level Voluntary Principles on Hydrogen, as well the institutionalisation of the Disaster Relief Working Group, Prime Minister Modi said.

He added that over the last nine years, India has demonstrated by example that the country is at the forefront of doing its part to address climate change.

"At COP26, I presented 'Panchamrit' - five ambitious commitments of India - as our contribution to global climate action," the Prime Minister said.

The five ambitious commitments include the following: reaching 500GW Non-fossil energy capacity by 2030; ensuring 50 per cent of its energy requirements are met by renewable energy sources by 2030; reducing the total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes between now and 2030; reducing the carbon intensity of the economy by 45 per cent by 2030 over 2005 levels; and achieving the target of net zero emissions by 2070, Aletihad reported.

Prime Minister Modi said that, India has translated its promises into action and submitted its updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs) prior to COP27, and submitted the Long Term-Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS), which put forward its Net Zero pathways, during COP27.

Noting that India is the only country achieving its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), PM Modi further said that the climate outlook on global level is not that positive. But, he affirmed hope that the COP28 Summit will energise the global community towards achieving 2030 targets.

"We are the only G20 country that is on track to achieving our NDCs," he said. "Unfortunately, on a global level, the climate outlook is not that positive, and there are concerns that we will not achieve our 2030 targets as a global community."

The Nationally Determined Contribution, is a climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts. Each Party to the Paris Agreement is required to establish an NDC and update it every five years.

The Prime Minister added, "I hope that this event will energise the global community to undertake a course correction and redouble efforts to ensure that we return on track to achieve our 2030 targets".