Experts expect a roadmap of action to combat climate change from COP27

“India is on track to meeting its enhanced NDC (nationally determined contribution) targets for 2030, with various policies and mandates being implemented – the revised renewable purchase obligation (RPO) targets, the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2022, Energy Conservation Building Code for greener buildings, the National Hydrogen Mission, promotion of electric vehicles and fuel efficiency, etc. However, to meet India’s longer-term target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070, a lot more planning and finance are required. Since this is an economy-wide target which includes all sectors, a comprehensive analysis of various scenarios should be done to come up with a roadmap and implementation plan that takes into account the various uncertainties and interdependencies between sectors. Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), where sustainable consumption is promoted, can also play an important role in meeting emission-reduction targets, particularly in otherwise hard-to-abate sectors,” Natarajan told indianexpress.com.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on November 4 that India at COP27 would seek clarity on climate finance and technology transfer.

“India and other developing countries will expect concrete steps towards climate finance. India has enhanced its NDC goals and also set a net-zero target for 2070. These are contingent on the availability of sufficient investments in the coming decade. Various studies have estimated the investment requirements to meet these targets and to build resilience to climate change. With developed countries not meeting their climate finance commitments so far, that will be one of the key negotiation points at COP27,” Natarajan said.

Pankaj Sharma, co-founder at Log9 Materials, a Bengaluru-based advanced battery-technology and deep-technology startup, expects that countries at the conference will lay out more detailed plans of how they will achieve their net-zero goals. “These detailed blueprints of action would provide the roadmap for the adoption of technologies that will bring the targets closer. We are keen to understand the investments, the mode and the timeline of these investments that the govt would be declaring for reaching its net-zero goals. Also, we are keenly observing which industries will be prioritised by the government, enabling India to reach its net-zero goals. For example, finished materials, metallurgy and material science industries need special incentives from the government for the development of technologies that will help India move towards self-reliance in Li-ion battery technology,” he said.

Avinash Chanchal, campaign manager with Greenpeace India, said the leaders participating in the conference must acknowledge that the climate crisis needs immediate systemic solutions. “We are living in the midst of a climate crisis and communities from developing nations are already paying a huge price for it. The world leaders who are meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to discuss the global climate negotiation during COP27 must acknowledge that the climate crisis needs immediate systemic solutions rather than more announcements without any impactful action. They must deliver and align with the principle of loss and damage, mitigation and adaptation, and climate justice. All countries should contribute in a just and fair manner to phase out fossil fuel dependency and implement strict actions to halve emissions by 2030, on the way to phasing out emissions completely,” he said.

Chanchal said that most developed countries did not meet their commitment to mobilise $100billion per year to support developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change. In 2009, at COP15, developed countries committed themselves to collectively mobilising $100 billion per year by 2020 for the purpose.

“They are certainly not doing enough on their commitments. This is a last chance for developed countries to ensure low-income countries have access to the necessary resources to prepare themselves for the adverse effects of climate change and to decarbonise their economies. The next few years are going to be crucial to tackle climate change. There is an urgent need to transform sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture, food, land use etc from carbon-intensive to carbon sequestering,” he added.