COP 28: India’s equity demand

Subject: Environment

Section: Environmental Conventions

Context:

There is an almost linear relationship between global warming and cumulative carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC):

The UNFCCC recognises the CBDR-RC principle.
This means different States have different responsibilities and respective capabilities in tackling climate change.
This principle has been reaffirmed in the Paris Agreement, whose main aim is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels’‘ and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels”.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report (IPCC AR6), every 1,000 billion tonnes of CO2 in emissions causes an estimated 0.45 degrees Celsius rise in the global surface temperature.

Global Carbon Budget:

It refers to the maximum cumulative global anthropogenic CO2 emissions – from the pre-industrial era to when such emissions reach net- zero, resulting in limiting global warming to a given level with a given probability. The remaining carbon budget indicates how much CO2 could still be emitted, from a specified time after the pre-industrial period, while keeping temperature rise to the specified limit.
The IPCC AR6 has shown that the world warmed by a staggering 1.07 degrees Celsius until 2019 from pre-industrial levels, so almost four-fifths of the global carbon budget stands depleted. Only a fifth remains to meet the target set in the Paris Agreement.

Who’s responsible for cumulative global emissions?

The developed countries have appropriated a disproportionately larger share of the global carbon budget to date.
The contribution of South Asia (including India) to historical cumulative emissions is only around 4% despite having almost 24% of the entire world population.
The per capita CO2-FFI (fossil fuel and industry) emissions of South Asia was just 1.7 tonnes CO2-equivalent per capita, far below North America (15.4 tonnes CO2-eq. per capita) and also significantly lower than the world average (6.6 tonnes CO2-eq. per capita).

How does the carbon budget matter for India?

The share of the global carbon budget is limited for every nation.
India must recognise a ‘fair share of the carbon budget’ as a strategic national resource whose reserves are depleting rapidly due to over-exploitation by developed countries.
- According to the NITI Aayog-U.N. Development Programme’s Multidimensional Poverty Index Report 2023 review, India has been able to lift more than 135 million poor out of poverty in less than five years (2015-2021).
In 2022, oil, coal and gas accounted for 30%, 27% and 23% of the world’s total energy, while solar and wind energy together contributed only 2.4%.
The world is still largely powered by non-renewable energy.
Based on India’s historical emissions (1850-2019), it has a carbon credit equivalent of 338 GtCO2-eq., equal to around $17 trillion at $50/tCO2-eq.
Developed countries have failed to provide US $100 billion dollars a year, as promised at the COP 15 talks in Copenhagen in 2009.

India’s Effort Towards Renewable Energy Production:

India has set up the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and the Global Biofuel Alliance.
Through the ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ (LiFE) mission, the Indian government also aims to spread awareness of good lifestyle practices and establish that sustainable lifestyles are the best way forward.