Ecology and Paris agreement
Biz@India
India’s Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge), Prakash Javadekar (third from the left) holding a press conference on post-Paris agreement, in New Delhi, on April 19, 2016.
India on Tuesday urged the developed world to declare its enhanced action plan for the second period of Kyoto Protocol, after the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
Addressing a press conference on the eve of his departure for New York for the signing of Paris Climate Change Agreement, India’s minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, said here that mobilising $100 billion is still at the stage of discussion and no concrete action plan has been laid out.
Javadekar said that India along countries would ratify the Paris agreement at a high level signing ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York on April 22. He will be leaving for the UN on Wednesday and will also attend the Major Economies Forum on April 23 and 24.
“India has levied a clean environment cess of $6 per tonne on coal. If the developed world follows India in taxing its coal production, $100 billion can be raised,” Javadekar suggested.
The Paris climate accord to be implemented from 2020, which was agreed to by over 190 countries in December 2015, commits developed countries to provide finance to the tune of $100 billion a year by 2020 to developing nations.
Over 150 countries are expected to be represented in New York for the signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
“India leading by example”
Javdekar highlighted that India is leading by example on mitigation and adaptation. Laying out the details of India’s action on Climate Change after the Paris Agreement, Javadekar said that 175 GigaWatt of Renewable Energy has been targeted by 2022, out of which 40 GW Renewable Energy capacity has been achieved by March 2016. He pointed out that the Government has decided to leapfrog from Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) to Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission norms by April 1, 2020, thereby skipping BS-V emission norms altogether.
“India has taken a decision to promote blending of ethanol with petrol and its use as an alternative fuel and has also taken a decision to tax sports utility vehicles and diesel vehicles”, Javadekar said, adding that 93 million LED bulbs have been distributed till April 12, 2016. This has resulted in energy savings of more than 33.3 million kWh every day.
Emphasising the initiatives taken by the government on adaptation front, the Minister stated that farmers can get their inefficient agricultural pumps sets free of cost replaced with energy efficient pumps. Some of the other initiatives taken by the Government include Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (convergence of investments in irrigation projects to improve water use efficiency, sustainable agriculture and efficient water use).
