Charandeep Singh
We have inflicted more pain than we have healed, which holds true for our treatment of planet Earth. We were ushered into the 21st century with a whole lot of environmental challenges of varied magnitude in different parts of the world attributed solely to the callous attitude of human beings towards their environment. Human beings remained in a denial mode for quite some time until the spat of horrifying instances struck, making them realize that all life on earth is ‘living’ indeed, and for every inappropriate action by man, there would be an equal reaction resulting in misery for humanity.
Environmentally conscious writers like Rachel Carson played a significant role in spelling out the ill effects of developmental activities on the environment which in turn impacted human health and wellbeing. Around the same time ‘environment’ became the focus of many treaties and protocols the world over. The Stockholm Conference, 1972 was the first landmark conference to give coveted attention to environmental issues. Several Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and International Environmental Agreements (IEAs) took place, of which Kyoto Protocol, 1997 was a significant one, stressing on different participating nations to bring down their greenhouse gas emissions responsible for causing the rise in the average global temperatures which is referred to as Global warming or the Green-house effect.
The Fourth National Climate Assessment and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has confirmed that human activities are responsible for an approximate 1.0°C rise in the Earth’s global temperature to date.If the global temperatures continue to rise at the current rate and surpass 1.5°C, the threat will not just be limited to ecological systems, but will also extend to human life. Global warming is considered the main driving force for Climate Change i.e., rising global temperatures are playing a significant role in bringing about Climate Change. We are already witnessing innumerable impacts of Global warming and Climate change on biodiversity and the ecosystems in the form of biodiversity loss and extinction of species due to rising ocean temperatures, shrinking ice sheets, rising sea levels, and so and so forth. The impact on human health, livelihood, food security, water supply, and economic growth is well before us all. Various measures viz., Emission Trading, Joint Implementation, and Clean Development Mechanism to reduce carbon emissions under Kyoto Protocol could not meet the set targets effectively and have met a dead end.
At UN COP 21(Conference of the Parties 21) held in 2015, when the Paris Agreement was reached, 196 participating nations decided to bring down carbon emissions to limit global temperatures below 2° Celsius while pursuing efforts to limit heating to 1.5° Celsius. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) or non-binding national targets were set by nations to meet their emission reduction targets. It was also decided that less wealthy nations would be aided with the US $100 billion a year by 2020 for various measures to help them adapt to Climate Change. The subsequent COPs that followed suffered setbacks like the worst polluter, the United States pulled out of the Paris Agreement in 2017 and thus was responsible for jeopardizing the climate commitments. Moreover, the financial support for developing cleaner technologies and infrastructure to meet the challenges of Climate change in developing countries never materialized.
At this juncture, when the UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change also known as COP 26 is just a few days away people across the world look forward to great decisions by world leaders which would probably define the future course of action for global climate mitigation and adaptation. Climate Change is a global challenge that requires decisive action from every country around the world. The cornerstone for the forthcoming Climate conference should be responsible action by both developed and developing nations. Some aspects which need to be addressed at COP 26 to further strengthen mitigation measures for Climate change are:
* Mobilizing finance: Poor countries to be provided funding for different measures to cut down on carbon emissions.
* Phasing out of coal: Coal-fed power plants and industries have to shift to renewable and cleaner sources of energy.
* Reducing Methane gas emissions: Methane has far more potential to cause Global warming than Carbon dioxide and its various sources need to be checked.
* Carbon Trading: It is a mechanism of buying and selling permits and credits that allow the permit holder to emit carbon dioxide. Each carbon credit is equivalent to one ton of Carbon dioxide equivalent. Better mechanisms are in place to cap the carbon emissions.
According to Climate Action Tracker’s Rating System published in September 2021 which ranks countries based on measures taken by their respective governments to achieve climate mitigation targets, India falls in the Highly insufficient category along with Canada, China, UAE, and Australia. India being a developing country has no net-zero carbon emission targets and has urged the G20 countries to bring down per capita emissions to the global average. India is determined to traverse the path of Climate mitigation and adaptation. India’s current NDC consists of three elements:
* Emissions-intensity target of 33-35% below 2005 levels by 2030.
* 40% installed capacity of renewables by 2030.
* Creating additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tons by 2030.
With such a promising NDC agenda and consistent efforts in every aspect of Climate mitigation, India would surely play its responsible part in the future.
(The author is a Senior JKAS officer)
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