Page 5 - AsiaElec Week 39

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multilateral development banks and the private sector in developing new infrastructure that can negate climate risks.
India is also heading up the International Solar Alliance (ISA), which aims to reduce the cost of solar to mobilise more than $1tn of solar investment by 2030.
Speaking in New Delhi this week, Mishra stressed that India was playing its part in mit- igating climate change, and was supporting the IPCC Working Group III’s drafting of its Sixth Assessment Report, which is due in 2021.
“Global coalition on innovation and technol- ogyistheonlywayforward,”Mishrasaid.
Jim Skea, co-chair of Working Group III, stressed India’s support for an international approach.
“We completely rely on the support of the government. There are 200 authors, with 12 from India. India is making a substantial contri- bution to this report in terms of intellect, assess- ment and financial support. We are thankful to India for making a major contribution,” Skea said.
Coal
Mishra noted that while India had built 80GW of renewable capacity over the last five years, rising demand for electricity meant that India could not eliminate coal entirely.
He said this did not mean that the govern- ment was not working on the process to replace coal with alternative renewable energy.
required for some time in India,” Mishra said. India is the world’s third largest consumer of coal after the US and China, while state-run Coal India Limited (CIL) is the single largest coal pro-
ducer in the world.
CIL aims to produce 660mn tonnes of coal in
2019-2020, which is 8% more than in 2018-2020, accounting for around 80% of national output. The rest is produced by other state companies and private miners.
Coal is a key political tool in the country, forming part of Modi’s drive to deliver electricity to the entire population.
One by-product of the drive for coal is that India’s 2018 CO2 emissions increased faster than any other country on a per capita basis, although emissions remain low at only 40% of the global average, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Modi’s comments show how on the one hand India takes no blame for causing climate change, while on the other it is a major coal producer and consumer. It is also the third-largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world behind the US and China, accounting for 7.3%, or 2.48bn tonnes, according to the BP 2019 Statistical Review of Energy.
India is both taking a lead in the fight against climate change and burning more and more coal. Modi’s policy of gradually replacing coal with renewables is not without its merits. However, the international community will want more details of how this will be financed and achieved, while keeping a close eye on India’s economic
and political development.™ Week 39 01•October•2019 w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m
India is both taking a lead in the fight against climate change and burning more and more coal
“The ultimate idea is reduction of coal but we cannot deny that coal will still continue to be
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