UN hails India’s leadership on solar & industry transition, says climate goals achievable

UN deputy chief Amina Mohammed has hailed India's leadership on solar and industry transition, saying it gives reason for the world to believe it can achieve its climate goals by 2050. UN Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed, while attending a webinar last week, said China's commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emission by 2060 and India's leadership in solar and industry transition is "encouraging news", saying she believes the world will meet its climate goals in the next three decades.

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"Today there is encouraging news: Japan and the Republic of Korea, together with more than 110 other countries, have now pledged carbon neutrality by 2050. China says it will do so before 2060. India’s leadership on solar and the industry transition is reason to believe that we can achieve our climate goals," Mohammed said.

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'India exceeding Paris climate agreement'

Last month at G20 Summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted that India is exceeding the Paris climate agreement goals as he underscored the importance of fighting climate change at a time when countries are battling a global health pandemic.

PM Modi highlighted India's efforts in adopting low-carbon and climate-resilient development practices, which he said was inspired by the nation's traditional ethos of living in harmony with the environment. The Prime Minister said India has taken concrete action in many ways to meet the targets of the Paris climate agreement, such as making LED lights popular, which he claimed saves 38 million tons of CO2 emissions every year. 

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Meanwhile, Mohammed also said she is confident that the European Union will meet its climate goals as the bloc has a strong history of decisive leadership in tackling climate change. Mohammed, however, noted that the world must look for sustainable ways of development while restarting their economies post COVID-19 keeping, adding they should be job-rich as well. 

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(Image Credit: AP)