GTRI says India should not take new commitments at COP28

The Global Trade Research Initiative said that India has already made significant commitments at COP27 and the Paris Agreement, aligning with its Long-term Low Emissions and Development Strategy

India should not take new commitments at the ongoing United Nations COP28 climate talks in Dubai and continue its green transition without additional assurances, think tank GTRI suggested.

The climate conference is being held at the Dubai Expo City from November 30 to December 12.

The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that India has already made significant commitments at COP27 (Conference of Parties) and the Paris Agreement, aligning with its Long-term Low Emissions and Development Strategy.

India’s commitment to generating half of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 is noteworthy.

However, he added that the country’s high methane emissions, especially from the agriculture sector, pose a challenge.

The think-tank also suggested that as 70 per cent of electricity is generated from coal power here and many large industries rely on captive and not grid power, India needs to improve on these.

It added that India should advocate for broadening the scope of climate discussions to address these interconnected challenges, fostering a more effective approach to climate action.

Further it said that despite fifty years of international efforts, annual GHG (greenhouse gas emissions) emissions have increased by 270 per cent, reaching 53.8 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2022.

But India must emphasise the fact that its per capita CO2 emissions at 1.9 tons are “very” low, far lower than the USA (14.5) and China (8.9) those of all developed countries and China, it said.