India has emerged leader in energy transition, and the voice of global south: R K Singh
When the leaders of the G20 countries meet on the 9th and 10th of this month, a primary concern will be accelerating the energy transition to address climate change. There is unanimous acknowledgement of the immediate threat posed by climate change, as well as the urgent need to shift from fossil fuels to non-fossils at an accelerated pace to curb CO2 emissions and strive to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C from pre-industrial levels.
India has one of the lowest per capita emissions in the world. Our per capita emission is 2.40 tCO2e (tonne carbon dioxide equivalent), whereas the global average is 6.3 tCO2e.
Our contribution to the legacy carbon dioxide load is only 4%, whereas we comprise 17% of the world's population. We are the only major economy whose energy transition actions are consistent with a sub-2°C rise in temperature.
In COP21 Paris, we pledged to achieve 40% non-fossil power generation capacity by 2030, a target we achieved in 2021, nine years ahead. Our non-fossil generation capacity is 187GW, with 103GW under construction.
At COP26 in Glasgow, we have committed to reach 50% non-fossil power generation by 2030.
We had pledged a 33% emissions intensity reduction by 2030 in COP21 and achieved it in 2019. Our new commitment at COP26 is a 45% emissions intensity reduction by 2030.
We are frontrunners in energy efficiency initiatives. Through our industry-focused perform, achieve, and trade program (PAT), we have reduced CO2 emissions by 106 million tonnes annually.
