India Commits To Reducing 33-35% Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity

Media Info

With their national climate action commitment, lodged today, the Indian government has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity – the ratio between gross emissions and a country’s GDP  – by 33-35% of its 2005 levels by 2030. To achieve this target  India will ensure that about 40% of its electricity will come from non-fossil fuel sources while it will increase its tree and forest cover to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

This commitment from India is a powerful signal ahead of the negotiations in Paris this December which will seek to agree a robust international framework for climate action with the goal of ending fossil fuel emissions altogether, but allowing countries to travel at different speeds to this same end point.  The government has said the new emission intensity reduction targets and adapting to climate change will require approximately $2.5 trillion at 2014-15 prices between now and 2030, and has said that “the successful implementation of INDC is contingent upon an ambitious global agreement including additional means of implementation to be provided by developed country parties, technology transfer and capacity building following Article 3.1 and 4.7 of the Convention.”