PARIS PLEDGE

Subject : Environment

Context : Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that India was the only major G20 country that was on track towards keeping to its nationally determined commitments to halt runaway global warming.

Concept :

• India had achieved 21% of its emissions intensity reduction target as a proportion of its GDP in line with its pledge to a 33-35% reduction by 2030, he said.

Voluntary Pledge

• In 2015, ahead of the United Nations’ significant climate conference in Paris, India announced three major voluntary commitments called the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)
• It states that India will improve the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33–35% by 2030 over 2005 levels; increase share of non-fossil fuels-based electricity to 40% by 2030, and enhance its forest cover, thereby absorbing 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
• The Paris Agreement, adopted at COP 21 in Paris, on 2015, constitutes a landmark agreement on climate change that seeks to limit global average temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and endeavour to limit the increase to 1.5°C.
• The agreement, which came into force on November 4, 2016, currently has 188 parties.
• All parties to it are expected to undertake ambitious efforts to support the agreement’s goals and communicate their related intentions every five years in the form of NDCs.