India top performer on Paris pledge, on track to achieve targets: Prakash Javadekar

India has been a top performer in combatting climate change and is on track to achieve the targets set under the Paris Agreement, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Friday. Briefing media on the discussions held at the United Nations climate change conference, COP-25, last week in Madrid, Javadekar said India aims to reduce its emission intensity by 35 per cent by 2030.

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"India is walking the talk": Prakash Javadekar on climate change

"Our emission intensity reduction target is 35 per cent and we have already achieved 21 per cent. We are very sure of achieving the rest. India is walking the talk. We are on track to achieve Paris pledges. India has been recognized as a top performer on the Paris Agreement which was signed in 2015," he said.

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The minister said that the country's forest cover has increased by 13,000 square km in the last five years. The Minister said that India's efforts to mitigate climate change and to conserve environment were appreciated at the 25th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-25) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change.

"There was no decision at the summit against the interests and stand of India. BASIC countries - Brazil, South Africa, India, China - and 40 like-minded developed countries were together on the issue and got benefit of the unity," he said.

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"India engaged constructively in the negotiations while protecting India's key interests including consideration of principles of equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC); need for enhanced means of implementation, including climate finance, technology transfer at affordable costs and capacity building support, from developed to developing countries in accordance with their obligations under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement," said Javadekar.

The minister also said that the time limit for providing benefit to industries in the form of credit points for reducing emissions and helping mitigate effects of climate change has been extended till 2022 after India pressed for it. Javadekar said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased the target for renewables from 175 Giga Watts to 450 Giga Watts at the recent UN Climate Action Summit and India is simultaneously progressing on solar, biomass and wind energy.

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