Press Release: India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution 10/07/2015

Press Release: India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution

1. The Government of India announced its INDC [Intended NationallyDetermined Contribution] on 2 October 2015 pursuant to the decision of theConference of Parties [CoP] of the UNFCCC [United Nations Framework Conventionon Climate Change]. The approach of India’s INDC has been anchored in thevision of equity inspired by the Father of our Nation Mahatma Gandhi’s famousexhortation,“Earth has enough resources to meet people’s needs, but will neverhave enough to satisfy people’s greed” and formulated under the leadership andguidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi who has called for‘convenient action’in order to deal with the ‘inconvenient truth’ of climatechange.

2. India’s INDC is fair and ambitious, considering the fact thatIndia is keen to attempt to work towards a low carbon emission pathway whilesimultaneously endeavouring to meet all the developmental challenges that thecountry faces today. The INDC document is prepared with a view to takingforward the PrimeMinister’s vision of a sustainable lifestyle and climatechange to protect the poor and vulnerable from adverse impacts of climatechange.

3. India’s INDC seeks, inter alia, to:

i. Reducethe emissionsintensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from 2005level;
ii. Achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel basedenergy resources by 2030 with the help of transfer of technology and low costinternational finance including from Green Climate Fund [GCF];
iii. Create anadditional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon-di-oxide equivalentthrough additional forest and tree cover by 2030;
iv. Better adapt toclimate change by enhancing investments in development programmes in sectorsvulnerable to climate change, particularly agriculture,water resources,Himalayan region, coastal regions, health anddisaster management;
v. Mobilize domestic andnew & additional funds fromdeveloped countries to implement the abovemitigation andadaptation actions in view of the resource required and theresource gap; and
vi. Build capacities,create domestic framework andinternational architecture for quick diffusion ofcutting-edge climate technology in India and for jointcollaborative R&D forsuch futuretechnologies.

4. India had undertaken, in 2009, a voluntary pledge of reducingthe emissionintensity of its GDP by 20 to 25 per cent over 2005 level by 2020.We are well-on track to meet our voluntary target having achieved reduction of12 percent of emission intensity of our GDP over 2005 level between 2005 and2010.

5. The full text of our INDC can be accessed at:
http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/INDC/Published%20Documents/India/1/INDIA%20INDC%20TO%20UNFCCC.pdf