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Spotlight on India after US, China ratify Paris climate deal

Although the ratification will not affect US or China majorly, it would put some pressure on India.

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In a move that has surprised many, the United States and China have ratified the historic Paris climate deal on the eve of the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, and two months prior to the upcoming climate conference in Marrakesh, Morocco. 

The development has now pushed India into the spotlight, which is the world's fourth biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and which accounts for 4.1% of the emissions. Experts said that unlike the US and China that have advanced technology as well as finance, India faces a tough task once it ratifies the deal, as it will have to cut down on fossil fuel consumption and usher in technology changes in its manufacturing sector.

The Paris deal will come into force in 2020 and it will come into effect only after a minimum of 55 countries, which contribute 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions, officially ratify it. A total of 26 countries have now ratified the deal that seeks to curb the rise of global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius and limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius, below the pre-industrial levels.

In April, India, along with 119 countries, signed the Paris climate deal, but is yet to ratify it and the Union government has not committed to any timeline.

Ajay Mathur, one of India's top most negotiators and spokesperson during the Paris climate conference and current director-general of The Energy and Research Institute, said that becoming energy efficient is the only option before big industrial sectors in the country. 

Mathur expressed confidence about India's position and said that things have been put into action. “Our cement sector is the brightest example of energy efficiency. As an emerging country, if we want profitability, we have to invest in energy efficiency. The government, under PAT (perform, achieve and trade scheme), has given targets to all energy-intensive industries such as power, steel and refineries for reduction in energy consumption,” said Mathur, who is also the ex-director-general of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

The US elections have played a big part in the current developments. “The upcoming elections in the US and Barack Obama's desire to leave behind a climate legacy have been the driving factors behind the US ratification of the deal. The US election cycle has created a sense of urgency on early ratification. We will have to follow our own processes so ratification may or may not happen this year,” added Mathur.

Meanwhile, other experts said that India has much at stake, compared to China and the US. “If we take a close look, we will see that China and US do not have much to lose by ratifying the deal. Both have advanced technological and financial support. But, for India, the stakes are much higher. We have been hampered recently by the WTO ruling that ruled against local production of technology for solar industry. Hence, it is important for us to get assurances to support our manufacturing,” said Harjeet Singh, International Climate Policy Manager, ActionAid.

“Notwithstanding these challenges, the Paris deal has given a signal to industry that they cannot keep polluting and thus there will be pressure on India,” he said.

The government has estimated that at least $2.5 trillion would be required between now and 2030 to fulfill the climate action targets and India is banking on the Green Climate Fund and technology transfers to achieve climate goals.

The WTO case is one instance of the challenges India faces to achieve its targets to curb climate change and adopt cleaner technology. In February 2016, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruled that India's National Solar Mission violated global trade rules by imposing domestic restrictions on production of solar cells. The ruling came three years after the US approached the WTO complaining that India was providing a protectionist regime for its domestic manufacturers of solar industry components.

India's commitment in Paris

India aims to reduce emissions intensity or emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 33-35% by 2030, from the 2005 levels. Ahead of the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit, India had committed to reduce its emissions intensity by 20-25%, and the environment ministry said that it has already achieved a 12% reduction.

In 2015, India announced a paradigm shift in its renewable energy production targets and decided to scale up the target of renewable energy capacity to 175 GW by 2022. Of this, 100 GW would come from solar energy, 60 GW from wind energy, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro-power.

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