India only G20 nation well on track to achieve Paris agreement goal: Amitabh Kant

He pointed out that India for the first time has been ranked amongst the top 10 countries in the climate change performance index

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. File.

India’s efforts in mainstreaming sustainability and reducing carbon footprint should inspire countries across the world, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Tuesday, while pointing out that India is the only G20 nation well on track to achieve the goals mentioned under the Paris Agreement.

Addressing the ‘Schneider Innovation India summit 2021’ virtually, Mr. Kant said India introduced the faster adoption of electric mobility policy which is facilitating India’s transition to clean mobility.

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“Our efforts in mainstreaming sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint should inspire countries across the world,” he said.

Mr. Kant mentioned that when “we talk of sustainability, and a future which is cleaner and greener, one cannot ignore the dangers posed by climate change”.

“India is not responsible for the situation. In fact, India is one of the only G20 countries well on track to achieve its nationally determined contributions,” he emphasised.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s first major scientific assessment since 2014 shows unequivocally that global warming is unfolding more quickly than feared and that humanity is almost entirely to blame.

Noting that independent studies rate India’s efforts highly compliant with the requirements under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement, he said, “A coalition of 14 global think tanks has rated that India is the only G20 that has 1.5 degrees C compliant policies.”

Under the Paris agreement, the goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

Also, Mr. Kant pointed out that India for the first time has been ranked amongst the top 10 countries in the climate change performance index.

He said when it comes to roads, a sector which contributes to 90 per cent of emissions from the transport sector, India is moving towards electric mobility rapidly.

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Observing that 2021 has been a defining milestone for the startup ecosystem in India, the Niti Aayog CEO said at an average three startups are turning unicorns every single month.

“We have seen 26 startups enter the unicorn club so far this year, and we are witnessing a record number of IPOs. This is totally unprecedented,” he said.

Mr. Kant said the vast scale of data and the massive digital footprint is India’s biggest strength for the technological leapfrogging in artificial intelligence and machine learning development.

“As India moves from being data rich to data intelligent, it’ll use machine learning and AI to find solutions to a vast number of its challenges, water availability, learning outcomes, and of course sustainability and reduction of our carbon footprint,” he observed.

According to Mr. Kant, during this transformation, the industry should also strive to maintain sustainability and become greener.