Posted by New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates discussed a wide range of issues from Artificial Intelligence to Digital Public Infrastructure and efforts to combat climate change in a free-wheeling chat
While the problem of climate change has become a major global concern against which all countries have today come together, India under the leadership of PM Modi has slowly come to take the lead in the fight. This with time has been slowly realised by governments across the globe.
Bill Gates in his conversation with the PM, also lauded India leadership in the G20 summit and how it today comes to stand as the voice of the Global South. As Gates put it, “G20 is way more inclusive and so it is fantastic to see India hosting it – really raised things like digital innovations and how the south-south collaboration can be far more than just the dialogue with the north…Our foundation is so excited about the past results that you have achieved here in India, that we would be a partner in trying to take that into many other countries.”
A global leader against climate change
The conversation with Bill Gates underscored what Prime Minister Modi has often voiced before as well, India today stands as a leader in the fight against climate change.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often reiterated how our government has made significant strides in combating climate change, achieving sustainable development goals and preserving India’s rich biodiversity.
There have been a spate of projects that India, under PM Modi, has launched to combat climate change. It has set lofty goals and is achieving them in real-time. The achievements of India in the arena of climate change are unlike those of any other country, even in the West.
From LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) to implementing the largest Renewable Energy expansion programme in the world, the strides we are taking are exemplary. Under the Renewable Energy program we are envisaging a 5-fold increase in our overall renewable energy resource. This would reduce our projected emissions by one billion tonnes from now to 2030.
India in the last ten years has also already achieved about 40 percent of the country’s energy production from renewable sources. This is way ahead of the 2030 Paris Agreement target, which most countries have been unable to meet.
India has also been intent on exploring new technologies in pursuit of developing green energy. In line with this, we launched the National Hydrogen Energy Mission to enable cost competitive green hydrogen production.
Technologies like 2G ethanol pilot, comfort climate box for tropical regions, hydrogen valleys, heating and cooling virtual repository, are all initiatives that are underway under the current dispensation.
India is also on course to achieve many of the targets the country had set toward taking action against the climate crisis. These include reaching a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030, fulfilling 50 per cent of its energy requirements through renewable energy by 2030, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1 billion tons by 2030 and reducing carbon intensity below 45 per cent by 2030.
What is commendable in this emerging status of India as a powerhouse against climate change is that due to the pressure of meeting the demands of the country’s large population, it is the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon. India also meets around 50 percent of its energy use from burning coal.
While meeting its energy needs, the country has still managed to make a success of its climate fight and has also managed to lead by example globally.