India will strive to fulfil its climate goals: Nirmala Sitharaman

- Coal

- 2 min read

India will strive to fulfil its climate goals: Nirmala Sitharaman

India aims for 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. The country is also investing in carbon capture technologies. Climate security and resilience are key priorities for India's strategy.

New Delhi: India has achieved two-thirds of its nationally determined renewable energy target about four years ahead of schedule and will strive to meet its relevant goals on time as well, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday, underscoring the country's significant strides in the clean energy transition.

As part of its pledge made at COP26, India is aiming for 500 giga watt of non-fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030. Renewables already account for over a half of the country's total installed power capacity. New Delhi has a broader goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2070.

The country will continue to invest in renewable energy, and the budget for 2026-27 has made a ₹20,000-crore allocation over the next five years to accelerate the so-called carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies, the minister said at the Munich Security Conference.

Sitharaman was speaking during a discussion on Degrees of Instability: Climate Security in a Warming World.

Aspects of climate change

Sitharaman underscored four critical aspects of India's climate strategy. First, the country accords top priority to protecting people whose lives have been disrupted by climate change while taking steps to save climate from potential human excesses, she stressed.

Climate resilience and adaptation, the minister said, requires as much attention as just emission control. "Otherwise you're going to sacrifice a lot of human beings in between in the eagerness, albeit a justified one, to save the climate for the earth," she said.

Second, technologies being developed to address climate change issues need to work in tandem with existing technologies for maximum results. Sitharaman also called for a sharing of the green technologies by advanced economies for the common good.

Third, there is a growing need for preparing societies and communities to become more resilient to climate changes, she said. For instance, farmers need to be advised and supported in efforts to grow more climate-resistant crops, she said.

Fourth, climate issues have potential to impact defence preparedness of countries, and India, too, is facing such issues, given its tough terrains, she said, revealing the close connection between climate change and security apparatus.

The minister reiterated the adherence to the principles of equity and "common but differentiated responsibilities" for nations. "It cannot be that countries which have contributed less to emission are made to pay equally," she stressed.

Such principles, experts have said, would allow poor and developing countries with limited financial muscle to have lower climate commitments than the rich ones that have been the biggest per capita emitters of greenhouse gas.

As part of its pledge made at COP26, India is aiming for 500 giga watt of non-fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030. Renewables already account for over a half of the country's total installed power capacity. New Delhi has a broader goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2070.

The country will continue to invest in renewable energy, and the budget for 2026-27 has made a ₹20,000-crore allocation over the next five years to accelerate the so-called carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies, the minister said at the Munich Security Conference.

Sitharaman was speaking during a discussion on Degrees of Instability: Climate Security in a Warming World.

Aspects of climate change

Sitharaman underscored four critical aspects of India's climate strategy. First, the country accords top priority to protecting people whose lives have been disrupted by climate change while taking steps to save climate from potential human excesses, she stressed.

Climate resilience and adaptation, the minister said, requires as much attention as just emission control. "Otherwise you're going to sacrifice a lot of human beings in between in the eagerness, albeit a justified one, to save the climate for the earth," she said.

Second, technologies being developed to address climate change issues need to work in tandem with existing technologies for maximum results. Sitharaman also called for a sharing of the green technologies by advanced economies for the common good.

Third, there is a growing need for preparing societies and communities to become more resilient to climate changes, she said. For instance, farmers need to be advised and supported in efforts to grow more climate-resistant crops, she said.

Fourth, climate issues have potential to impact defence preparedness of countries, and India, too, is facing such issues, given its tough terrains, she said, revealing the close connection between climate change and security apparatus.

The minister reiterated the adherence to the principles of equity and "common but differentiated responsibilities" for nations. "It cannot be that countries which have contributed less to emission are made to pay equally," she stressed.

Such principles, experts have said, would allow poor and developing countries with limited financial muscle to have lower climate commitments than the rich ones that have been the biggest per capita emitters of greenhouse gas.