‘Mitigation alone can’t curb greenhouse gases’

The Centre on Monday said that mitigation alone cannot ensure the curbing of green house gas emissions and that a “balanced” approach is required to achieve the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). The government also stressed on educating the youth to adopt a climate-friendly lifestyle to realise key climate change goals.

Susheel Kumar, special secretary, ministry of environment said that along with mitigation measures, focus should also be given to adaptation measures so that the latter do not “drop out of the global radar” while reiterating at the same time that they plan to create a composite “National Adaptation and Vulnerability Index” to track current vulnerabilities and the progress made in reducing these. Mr Kumar was speaking at a round-table meet on the implementation and tackling of mitigation actions, plans and policies organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri). Raising concerns of low-cost finance and access to technology, the secretary to ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) Upendra Tripathy said while India is committed to its INDC goals, addressing questions of low-cost finance and technological access are crucial. Mr Tripathy also spoke about the international solar alliance initiative that will work towards mobilising a solar market across 120 partner countries.

The meet which was organised to deliberate on the way forward from the Paris agreement, also saw Teri D-G Ajay Mathur stressing on the need for “collective steps” through which the needs and aspirations of people not just in India but across the world could be met.

TERI chairman Ashok Chawla said that the action plan has to be “detailed, credible and transparent,” both domestically and globally. Representatives of Nabard suggested that state governments need to be a part of the Centre’s vision for promoting climate change action.

In the parliament, the minister of environment Prakash Javadekar on Monday said that developed countries will provide financial support to developing nations for technology development and transfer to reduce carbon emissions under the new agreement reached at the Paris Climate Change summit. “Under the Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015, it has been agreed that developed countries will provide financial support to developing countries for strengthening cooperative action on technology development and transfer,” the MoS said, adding, “The developing countries, including India, were always proactive in negotiations for promoting and facilitating enhanced action on technology development and transfer.”