Slow-burning climate crisis

Our covid emergency must not detract attention from our slow-burn crisis of climate change. The US, for one, is set to accord it a top priority again; president Joe Biden will host a virtual submit on this issue with 40 other national leaders over Thursday and Friday. His administration has signaled a keenness to double down the menace and is widely expected to pledge a reduction of at least half of America's carbon emission by 2030. It has also engaged busing in climate talks, stirring hopes of a "green race" for carbon neutrality. Last year, China set itself a target of 2060 to ensure it spews out no more carbon into the atmosphere than it absorbs. Some analysts sage the US can achieve that sooner. The EU has tentatively agreed to go carbon neutral by 2050. Others have also escalated their efforts. India, however, has not yet declared a net-zero deadline for itself. As the world's third-biggest emitter of gases that warm up the planet, we must not just do our bit but also aim to enliven the conversation with strategies to mitigate the risks staring us in the face.

Our official stands often seem that too defensive. On 15th April, Union environment minister Prakash javadekar forcefully said that India would not make any pledges "under pressure". while the argument cannot be refuted that this crisis was caused primarily by the past imitation of industrialized countries, dwelling on historical points of culpability does nothing to solve the problem. We would worry about our own vulnerability, which is turning out to be unacceptably high. The rapid melting of the Himalayan glacier and rising sea level poses multiple threats, Marine heatwaves have exposed India to frequent and severe cyclones, and rising temperature could turn the monsoon even more erratic, imperil agriculture, threaten other sectors, and roil the lives of over a billion people. One source of relief is that we appear on course to meet our emission goal under the Paris agreement of 2015. India has committed itself to the reduction of 30 to 35% in its 'emission intensity by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. Yet, despite this efficiency in coughing out less carbon in proportion to our economic output, the country's quantum of emission may actually rise over the decade, as some analysis has shown.

The country is betting big on renewable energy. We have a national target of 450 gigawatts by 2030, With solar power projected to contribute slightly over 62% of that. In a recent report, the international energy agency stated that by 2040, 30% of our power generation could be solar; the share of bad old cole, which account for 70% of our total today, could shrink to 30% by then. A study by the council of energy, environment, and water found that for India to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, fossil fuel would have to feed just 5% of our energy needs, while power production we are non-hydro renewables must increase 55 fold. Whatever the details we must reach our overall ambition. our current agenda is calibrated to help limit global warming to 2 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial level by 2100, but we should go for 1.5 degrees, our industrial sector must take on a big chunk of the responsibility, whether or not a market images for carbon credit to incentivize gain on decarbonization. the center, on its part, should promote such a market, invest more in climate research, and force global alliance for green tech transfer. We need a good strategic plan for a low-carbon future, one that lays out a clear path ahead.

Source- Livemint newspaper