United Nations’ Paris summit: India's climate plan to have sectoral goals

NEW DELHI: India’s climate action plan ahead of the United Nations’ Paris summit in December will come with sector-specific emphasis on emission reduction.

The Union environment ministry has held at least five rounds of meetings with key infrastructure ministries to help clarify the definition, scope and approach for preparing India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to be submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), officials from various government departments told ET.

They said ‘specific emphasis’ is placed on ministries of heavy industry, power, new & renewable energy, water resources, urban development, steel, petroleum and natural gas, road transport and highways, railways, civil aviation, shipping, agriculture, coal, mines and rural development.

Departments of commerce; animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries; and, chemical and fertilisers, too, will play key roles in the country’s efforts to check emissions and adopt climate friendly measures.



Environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said India is expected to submit its climate action plan by next month. Most nations, including biggest greenhouse gas emitters US and China, have already submitted their INDCs.

Paris will host the 21st Session of the Conference of Parties in December this year where a new climate agreement for emission reduction post 2020 is expected to be finalised. Key focus areas in India’s action plan will include the country’s efforts to switch to energy-efficient lighting systems, climate-friendly building code, and improved devices for homes, officials said.

Improved energy efficiency and reduced energy intensity across industries will also be emphasised. While cement and fertiliser plants lead by example on global benchmarks, there is considerable improvement required as far the steel industry, pulp and paper are concerned among others.

The big power efficient shifts that India’s massive railway network is making are among inputs given to the environment ministry by the various government arms, they said.

The various government departments have been consulted to set targets to reduce emissions both by year 2020 and 2030 along with the requirement of finance, technology and capacity building to achieve the targets for emission reduction.

Meanwhile, Javadekar on Monday reiterated India’s stated position on the issue, pointing to the ‘historical responsibility’ of the developed world and maintained that India will not declare a ‘peak year’ for emissions reduction in view of countryspecific circumstances.