India has cited a “mitigation ambition gap” by developed countries in its 2031-2035 climate plan submitted to the UNFCCC, noting that achieving the goals set out in this plan, for India and other developing countries, depends on the availability of adequate climate finance.
HT reported on March 26 that the Cabinet had approved boosted climate targets for 2031-35 under the Paris Agreement, raising its commitments on emissions, clean energy and forests at a time when the United States has withdrawn from the global climate framework and many developed countries are scaling back their ambitions. Specifically, India has committed to three quantitative targets: achieving about 60% of cumulative installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2035, with the help of technology transfer and low-cost international financing; Reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 47% by 2035, compared to the 2005 level; Create a carbon store of 3.5 to 4.0 billion tons of CO2e through forest and tree cover by 2035 compared to the base year of 2005.
But in its official report to the UNFCCC, India also highlighted the worsening global warming due to the inadequate response by developed countries. He added that without adequate financing, technological cooperation and capacity building, these conditional commitments cannot be met, thus weakening the collective goals of the Paris Agreement.
NDCs Recent data in the Second Needs Mapping Report (UNFCCC SCF 2024) indicate a significant uptick in the financial resources that developing countries need to implement NDCs. Updated estimates project a cumulative financing need of $5.012 trillion to $6.852 trillion by 2030. This means annual mobilization requirements of about $455-584 billion between 2019 and 2030. The document sets out the means for implementation, including predictable, adequate and accessible climate finance.
Moreover, India has made it clear that its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is guided by the Vikshit Bharat by 2047 vision.
“India aspires to become a developed nation by 2047. The ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’ vision aims to achieve new heights of prosperity, provide best-in-class facilities in rural and urban areas, adopt a pro-citizen governance model, and build world-class modern infrastructure,” the NDC document states, adding that India aims to achieve its ambitious goals of universal access to services such as water, sanitation, waste management, affordable housing and electric power in line with the short and medium targets. Horizon set by the Indian National Congress. Current initiatives of the government including achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
India will pursue low-carbon development paths but at its own pace, the document says, adding that for the country to transition from a lower middle-income economy to a developed nation, economic progress must be supported by improvements in technology, skilled human resources, strong infrastructure, and sound financial strategies.
“India remains committed to pursuing low-carbon development paths that are firmly grounded in its national circumstances, development priorities and long-term economic aspirations. Accordingly, the pace and scale of this transition will be calibrated to ensure that the objectives of growth, poverty eradication and social development are fully protected.”
The document adds that the historical accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) since the Industrial Revolution has caused global warming, a problem exacerbated by the inadequate response by developed countries. “Despite the adoption of the UNFCCC, the failure of many developed countries to meet their commitments has created a ‘mitigation ambition gap’ that requires them to take stronger global action.”
Arguing that India will need technology transfer and adequate financing to meet mitigation and adaptation needs, it called for global cooperation in research and development of clean and sustainable technologies and facilitating their transfer to developing countries without imposing prohibitive costs in terms of intellectual property rights. Financing mechanisms, including potential dedicated windows under the Green Climate Fund, could help offset these costs.
He explained that India’s commitments are conditional on receiving due support, including its due share of international climate finance; It can be modified to suit the level of support available. In addition, India may review the values of its benchmark indicators, especially emissions and sinkholes, due to methodological improvements.
