COP27: For India, environment is a dear cause

India has since ages attached utmost importance to the preservation of environment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a commitment at the 26th COP last year that India would be carbon neutral by 2070.

At the ongoing 27th United Nations Climate Conference of Parties (COP) in Sharm el-Sheikh, India has done well to announce its strategy for a pathway of low greenhouse gases emission.

Observers say India has since ages attached utmost importance to the preservation of environment for the sake of life and humanity in the universe. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a commitment at the 26th COP held in Glasgow last year that India would be carbon neutral by 2070.

India's strategy to turn carbon neutral is well premised on expanding its nuclear power capacity, producing green hydrogen and increasing the proportion of ethanol in petrol. In moving along the pathway of low carbon emission, India is in an advantageous position. The country is endowed with a huge forest and tree cover. This cover absorbs over 15 per cent of CO2 emissions in the country.

It is high time all 195 signatory-nations of the UN climate agreements submitted their long-term plans to reduce carbon emission. So far, only 57 nations have done so. They need to act fast. There is a near-consensus across the enlightened international public spectrum that due to the continuing greenhouse gas emissions, the earth has been heating up, ice melting and sea levels rising the world over. This needs to be taken care of urgently to save humanity from perishing.

To save climate, the famous Paris Agreement rightly came forward with a goal of preventing global temperature rising beyond 1.5 or 2 degrees Centigrade by the end of the century. The world must move forward in the desired direction. Wealthy nations need to be more courageous and bold in this regard. They have been mainly responsible for the carbon emission predicament in the world. They happen to be the biggest cumulative polluters on this planet.

The United States and Europe together are estimated to have thus far accounted for over 58 per cent of CO2 emissions in the world. They could help the poor countries with appropriate financial and technological aid so as to enable the latter shift to cleaner energy.

Regrettably, the wealthy nations are said to still dragging their feet on the issue of climate finance. US presidential envoy on climate John Kerry has recently already indicated that negotiations on compensating poor nations for the adverse impacts of climate change have little prospects.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.