India renews focus on environment protection, climate justice: Report
Apr 13, 2022
New Delhi [India], April 13 : India, which has always remained the hub of environment protection and climate justice, has renewed its vigour and focus on these concerns with firm determination in recent times, according to a Saudi Arabian newspaper.
Though contemplations on the state of the environment have remained a mainstream conversation topic in India, it was incredibly rare to formulate specific time-bound targets that the nation had to take to address these burning issues. That mindset has undergone a radical shift in the last half a decade, reported Saudi Gazette.
India's renewable energy capacity has increased by more than 250 per cent within six years, which is a rapid pace of growth for a developing country with 140 crore individuals. Notably, India is now one of the top five countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity.
Following its usual path where economy and ecology can both co-exist, India is now setting an example for the world through its means to protect the environment without blocking infrastructural projects. While no other country has been able to sufficiently meet the Paris Climate Agreement goals, India has been a ray of hope achieving targets much ahead of the timeline.
The mechanisms like the International Solar Alliance - based in Gurugram- demonstrate how the country has taken upon itself the responsibility of guiding the world towards negotiations on sensitive environmental treaties and agreements.
Moreover, reflecting its global vision, the country has also formed the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure initiative aimed at protecting small island nations from the existential threat of rising global temperatures as well as other related natural disasters
As part of the World Environment Day celebrations in India, the government issued a clarion call to increase the use of ethanol blending within the country. With a resolution to meet the target of 20 per cent blending in petrol by the year 2025, the government is focusing on creating a large impact on the environment as well as the lives of farmers.
To achieve this goal, E-100 projects have been started on a pilot level in different parts of the country and the government also issued a notification allowing for oil companies to sell 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol from the fiscal year 2023, which will result in further nurturing of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications for higher ethanol blends E-12 and E-15, reported the media outlet.
However, numerous achievements of the last half a decade have only pushed the country towards greater goals. At the recent COP 26, India launched the Green Grids Initiative -- One Sun One World One Grid -- the first international network of global interconnected solar power grids, aimed at enhancing the viability of solar projects as well as reducing carbon footprint by a significant margin.
Not only are these steps aimed at environmental protection but will also boost green investments and create millions of jobs, according to Saudi Gazette.
