Context: Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved India’s Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to be communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Updation of the pledge

• As per the Paris Agreement’s provisions, countries must ‘update’ their pledges every five years to make higher commitments to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions. 

India’s first pledge

• The country submitted its first pledge in 2015. 

• India’s first pledge, also known as a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), had three primary targets. 

• The first was to reduce the emissions intensity of the economy by 33–35 percent below 2005 levels. 

• The second was to have 40 percent of installed electric power from non-fossil-based energy resources by 2030. 

• The third target was to create an additional (cumulative) carbon sink of 2.5-3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) by 2030 through additional forest and tree cover.

Updated pledge

• India now stands committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030 from its 2005 levels, as per the updated NDC. 

• The country will also target about 50 percent of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.

• To further a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, 'LIFE' 'Lifestyle for Environment' as a key to combating climate change" has been added to India's NDC.

Significance

Pathway of India

• The pledge will lay out India’s clean energy transition pathway from now through 2030.

• The pledge will be communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

Non-fossil power target

• Analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that the 50 percent non-fossil power target is achievable. 

• As of June 2022, the cumulative installed power capacity from non-fossil sources is 39.7 percent (when including large hydropower projects). 

• To make this a truly ambitious goal, it must go beyond installed capacity and account for 50% of generation as well.

Emissions intensity target

• On the emissions intensity target, CSE’s observations suggest that India had achieved 25 percent of emission intensity reduction of GDP between 2005 -2016 and is on a path to achieving more than 40 percent by 2030. 

• But for this, India will have to implement enhanced measures across the transport and industrial sectors as well to reduce emissions. 

Financial resources and technological support

• The updated NDC will clarify the need for international climate finance. 

• India will also require its due share from such international financial resources and technological support.

No sector-specific mitigation

• India will not be bound to any sector-specific mitigation obligation or action. 

• The Indian delegation at the UN’s mid-year climate change conference (SB 56) held in Bonn in June 2022 was opposed to the imposition of binding targets for any sector, fuel or greenhouse gas. 

• This was done to avoid specific demands being placed on its coal sector, or on emissions of GHGs such as methane.