Common but differentiated responsibility important principle for climate action, says India at UNSC
Sep 23, 2021
New York [US], September 23 : Climate action needs to be based on fundamental and agreed principles, the most important of which is the principle of 'Common but Differentiated Responsibility and Respective Capabilities,' Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West) in Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
Speaking at the UNSC open debate on 'Climate and Security,' Sandhu said India is a leader in climate action and is on track to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement.
"We need to bring back the focus to where it should be - combating climate change. India is a leader in climate action and is on track to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement," she said.
She called for a more "comprehensive and collective approach" through stronger partnerships and strengthened global efforts to "address the challenge of climate change together".
Highlighting New Delhi's role in climate action, she said India currently has the "world's fastest-growing solar energy programme and has expanded access to clean cooking fuel to cover over 80 million households making it one of the largest clean energy drives globally".
"In addition, 370 million LED light bulbs have been distributed, resulting in energy saving of more than 47 billion units of electricity per year and a reduction of more than 38 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. We are committed to installing 450 GW of new and renewable energy by 2030," Sandhu said.
She said addressing one aspect of climate change and ignoring others will be counter-productive.
"Climate action needs to be based on fundamental and agreed principles, the most important of which is the principle of 'Common but Differentiated Responsibility and Respective Capabilities,'" she said.
Sandhu asked the countries to enhance action on all important policies that address climate change, including fulfilling the commitments on climate finance and technology transfer.
"For vast numbers of developing countries, especially during the pandemic when financing is drying up, robust financing for climate action cannot be over-emphasised. While we may call for innovative financing, we need to be careful not to indulge in innovative accounting. Pathway to 100 billion US Dollars of climate finance is critical for meeting targets under Paris Agreement," she said.
