Ministerial On Climate Action

• 13 Jul 2020

• The 4th edition of the virtual Ministerial on Climate Action was organised to give momentum to discussions on implementation of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• The meeting was co-chaired by European Union, China and Canada.

India at the Ministerial

• India reminded developed nations about their commitment towards extending financial and technological support to developing countries. It also highlighted the steps it has been taking and its achievements towards a clean climate:

• Reduction in Emission:India has achieved reduction of 21% in emission intensity of its GDP between 2005 and 2014, thereby achieving its pre-2020 voluntary target.
• Increase in Renewable Energy: India’s renewable energy installed capacity has increased by 226% in last 5 years and stands more than 87 Gigawatt.
• Increase in Non-fossil Energy: The share of non-fossil sources in installed capacity of electricity generation increased from 30.5% in March 2015 to 37.7% in May 2020 and has further announced the aspirational target of increasing our renewable energy capacity to 450 GW.
• Clean Cooking Fuel: Provided 80 million LPG connections in rural areas, providing them with clean cooking fuel and healthy environment.
• Forest Cover: India’s total forest and tree cover is 8,07,276 sq. km. which is 24.56% of the total geographical area of the country;
• Reduction of CO2:More than 360 million LED bulbs have been distributed under UJALA scheme, which has led to energy saving of about 47 billion units of electricity per year and reduction of 38 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
• Cleaner Fuel: India has also leapfrogged from Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) to Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms by April 1, 2020 which was earlier to be adopted by 2024.
• Coal Cess: India had levied a coal cess of INR 400/- as, part of one of the most explicit green initiatives & this is now subsumed under Goods and Services Tax(GST).
• Smart Cities Mission:Under Smart Cities Mission, first-of-its-kind initiative – Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2019 has been launched which intends to provide clear roadmap for cities and urban India towards combating climate change through adoption of both mitigation and adaptation measures.