Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
10/2/2015
Rounding out the top three carbon emitters in the world, India this week submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, months after the submissions from the top emitters, the United States and China. In its INDC, India committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels. The country intends to reach this goal in part by increasing the amount of electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources to about 40 percent by that time.
The INDCs are public commitments made by countries stating what they intend to do to combat the global issue of climate change. The UNFCCC had asked countries to submit these plans by the end of March — well ahead of the 21st Conference of the Parties to be held in Paris in December, at which time a new international climate agreement is hoped to be reached. India’s INDC has been long anticipated.
China, the world’s top carbon emitter, pledged in its INDC to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 60-65 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The U.S., the world’s No. 2 carbon emitter, committed to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
India’s INDC stresses the vast differences between the developing and developed world in terms of historical energy consumption, GDP, and emissions. The current climate change problem has its roots in the Industrial Revolution, and the countries that benefited at that time should not shame countries that are only just now getting their chance to grow, the document suggests.
“Nations that are now striving to fulfill this ‘right to grow’ of their teeming millions cannot be made to feel guilty of their development agenda as they attempt to fulfill this legitimate aspiration. Just because economic development of many countries in the past has come at the cost of environment, it should not be presumed that a reconciliation of the two is not possible,” the document says.
Furthermore, while developed countries have been called upon to offer contributions to the fight against climate change, the nations that have caused the problem are not taking responsibility, India asserted. “The cumulative accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) historically since industrial revolution has resulted in the current problem of global warming. This is further compounded by the tepid and inadequate response of the developed countries even after the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and delineation of obligations and responsibilities,” its INDC document says.
Coal-based power currently accounts for about 60.8 percent of India’s installed capacity. Coal is expected to continue to dominate the nation’s power generation into the future. However, the document says, the “government of India has already taken several initiatives to improve the efficiency of coal-based power plants and to reduce its carbon footprint. All new, large coal-based generating stations have been mandated to use the highly efficient supercritical technology.”
Prior to the submission of India’s INDC, little was known about what the document might contain. The county made a commitment, Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement. “Its commitment to renewable energy will pave the way to sustainable economic growth that creates jobs, protects natural resources, and provides cleaner air and water for Indian citizens. India now has positioned itself as a global leader in clean energy, and is poised to play an active and influential role in the international climate negotiations this December,” she said.
