India at COP26 says its solar energy capacity increased 17 times in 7 years; now at 45 GW
GLASGOW :
INDIA on Sunday told the UN climate summit here that its solar energy capacity stands at about 45 gigawatts after it increased 17 times in the last seven years, asserting that although the country represents 17 per cent of the global population, its historical cumulative emissions are only 4 per cent. India said this while giving a presentation on its third Biennial Update Report (BUR) during the 11th Facilitative Sharing of Views (FSV) at the ongoing COP26 climate summit here. The BUR was submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in February.
The key highlight of the discussion on India’s third BUR was the achievement of 24 per cent reduction in emission intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the period of 2005-2014, and the significant increase of its solar programme. Making a statement on behalf of India, J R Bhatt, Adviser/ Scientist in the Ministry of Environment, highlighted that India represents 17 per cent of the global population but its historical cumulative emissions are only 4 per cent, while current annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are only about 5 per cent. “This is complemented by the fact that India is particularly vulnerable to climate change. However, India is nevertheless taking several mitigation actions, spanning across the entire economy and society and has progressively continued decoupling of its economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions,” said Bhatt. In the last seven years, India’s installed solar energy capacity has increased 17 times, he said, adding that the solar energy capacity now stands at about 45 gigawatts.
All the Parties commended India’s efforts on the BUR and its climate actions, including recent announcements of new measures. There were questions about India’s multilateral efforts to combat climate change, including the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). India responded by saying that disaster risk is increasing in developing countries, and this is a step to enhance international cooperation which is much needed in the current times. India signs up to COP26 action agenda on sustainable agriculture: INDIA is among 27 countries to sign up to a sustainable agriculture action agenda at the conclusion of the first week of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, laying out new commitments to make farming more sustainable and less polluting.
