India-U.S. Climate Partnership

ENVIRONMENT/ INTERNATIONAL

Topic:

• GS-2: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests 
• GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation 

India-U.S. Climate Partnership

Context: Recently, the Leaders’ Summit on Climate was convened by the US President virtually. 40 world leaders, including the Prime Minister of India, were invited to the event to underscore the urgency of stronger climate action.

At the Summit US and India launched a new high-level partnership, the “U.S.-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership”

Key Features of the Partnership are:

• It envisages bilateral cooperation on strong actions in the current decade to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement
• The Partnership will proceed along two main tracks: 
  • The Strategic Clean Energy Partnership, co-chaired by Secretary of Energy Granholm, 
  • The Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue, co-chaired by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
• The partnership will work together in achieving ambitious climate targets of both countries
  • USA has set an economy-wide target of reducing its net greenhouse gas emissions by 50–52 percent below 2005 levels in 2030 (announced in this summit)
  • India has set a target of installing 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030 
• The Partnership will aim to
  • Mobilize finance and speed clean energy deployment; 
  • Demonstrate and scale innovative clean technologies needed to decarbonize sectors including industry, transportation, power, and buildings; 
  • Build capacity to measure, manage, and adapt to the risks of climate-related impacts.

• The partnership could also create templates of sustainable development for other developing countries.

• US has also announced in this summit to double its public climate financing to developing countries and triple public financing for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2024.

India’s Position w.r.t Climate Change

• Although China, the U.S. and India are the top three emitters of CO2 in absolute terms, the U.S. has a much greater per capita emission statistic than China and India. 
• India’s per capita carbon footprint is 60% lower than the global average. It is because our lifestyle is still rooted in sustainable traditional practices,
• India is among the few countries whose NDCs or Nationally Defined Contributions are 2-degree-Celsius compatible
• India is targeting a 2030 GDP emissions intensity (i.e., volume of emissions per unit of GDP) that is 33%-35% below 2005 levels. It also seeks to have 40% of power generated from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.

Conclusion

• Through this collaboration, US and India aim to demonstrate how the world can align swift climate action with inclusive and resilient economic development, taking into account national circumstances and sustainable development priorities.

Connecting the dots:

• China’s Climate Commitment