India on course to meet its climate change abatement: S Jaishankar

NEW DELHI: Asserting that India has been at the forefront in climate action, S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India, said that the country was on track to meet its climate change mitigation commitments. Addressing the World Sustainable Development Summit on Wednesday, February 10, Jaishankar said India currently had the fastest-growing solar energy programme in the world.

Jaishankar further said that the government has expanded access to clean cooking fuel to cover over a million households in need, which has brought about energy saving approximately 47 billion kilowatt-hours per year and reduction of 38 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. This is among the largest clean energy drives globally. He also said that we need global awareness to bring about behavioral change. Respect for the judicious use of resources, deducting our need and living with our means have all been crucial aspects of both India’s traditions and its present day efforts.

Jaishankar said the installed renewable energy capacity in India has grown 162 per cent in the last five years. He added that as we go into the 26^thUnited Nations Climate Change conference this year, there are several threads that need to be dealt with. Climate ambition needs to go hand-in hand with the framework for financial, technical and capacity building support to countries that need it. It is equally important for countries to fulfil their pre-2020 commitments.