United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry arrived in India on Monday, 5 April, as part of his ongoing three-nation tour to discuss climate change.
Kerry met Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Prakash Javadekar on 6 April, Tuesday, to hold consultations on increasing climate ambition ahead of US President Biden’s Leaders’ Summit on Climate scheduled for 22 and 23 April and the COP26 meet to be held later this year.
‘India Undergoing a Remarkable Transformation’
After the meet, Kerry said, “India is undergoing a remarkable transformation, lifting millions out of poverty. It’s a major player on the global stage.” He added that decisive action by India in partnership with the rest of the world will determine what this transformation will mean for generations to come.
He said that India had an advantage that the US did not. The advantage is that when US was developing, the benefits of decades of scientific and technical advancement did not exist. Kerry added that US is India’s friend and partner that is around to support India through this path of a sustainable future.
He also hailed India's global leadership, which has been critical on a range of issues including delivering COVID vaccines to the world. “I’m particularly grateful that India is getting the job done on climate. You're indisputably world leader already in the deployment of renewable energy,” he said according to ANI.
Discussed Climate Finance, Research With Kerry: Javadekar
On Tuesday, 6 April, Javadekar tweeted photos from the meeting, highlighting their discussion on climate finance, joint research, and collaboration.
In the upcoming leaders’ summit, where 40 nations are meant to participate, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been invited. The meet is aimed to underscore the importance, urgency and economic benefits of stronger climate action.
John Kerry will also talk over the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), scheduled for 1 to 12 November in Glasgow.
Speaking at the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit last December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, “Our renewable energy capacity is the fourth largest in the world. It will reach 175 gigawatts before 2022.”
A spokesperson from the US embassy said, "As one of the world's largest economies and a global leader in science and innovation, India is a critical part of the solution to the climate crisis. We see India as an important partner on future clean energy research, development, and deployment, not least because of their successful domestic agenda in this area,” reported The New Indian Express.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), India is the third-largest global emitter of carbon dioxide, after China and the US, despite extremely low per capita CO2 emissions.
He further added, “A key focus for our administration is supporting and encouraging India's decarbonisation efforts through clean, zero, and low-carbon investment, and supporting India in mitigating its fossil energy use.”
(With inputs from PTI, ANI and New Indian Express.)
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