India to achieve carbon neutrality in 2070, Modi promises

This is the surprise announcement of the start of COP26. India has set itself the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2070, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Monday (November 1) in Glasgow. “By 2070, India will reach the goal of net zero emissions” carbon, he said in a speech given the day after the opening of the COP26 world climate conference in the United Kingdom.

The announcement of new climate targets for India, the world’s fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases behind China, the United States and the European Union, was eagerly awaited. And Modi specified other goals aimed at fighting global warming. India will thus increase by 2030 “its non-fossil energy capacities” from 50 GigaWatts to 500 GW and by the same year it will provide 50% of its energy needs from renewable sources.

“By 2030, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45%”Narendra Modi also said, increasing its initial promises to reduce its CO2 emissions relative to GDP by 10 points compared to 2005.

In the field of transport, the Indian Prime Minister gave as an example a figure: “Each year, more passengers than the world’s population use India’s rail network. India’s massive rail system has set itself the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030, an initiative that will cut emissions by 60 million tonnes per year.”

The Paris agreement at the end of the COP21 in 2015 mentioned the objective “balance” between greenhouse gas emissions and absorption “during the second half of the century”. Under pressure from the UN, more and more countries are committing to carbon neutrality, most for 2050, a few for 2060 or 2045.