The Net-zero Coalition under the aegis of the United Nations at present include both the scientific ‘net-zero’ and the forces that are historically responsible for the present climate crisis and in the meantime have become developed nations. Those nations are yet to fulfill their obligation and promises regarding climate finance and technological help to the developing and least developing countries, but they want from them to implement ‘net-zero’ that would keep them perpetually undeveloped or least developed. India is a developing and middle-income country with largest number of poor and hungry in the world to feed, and is heading towards the most populous country in the world within five years, though with the tag of the fastest growing economy of the world. Obviously, the growth and development has made it the third largest GHG emitter of the world after China and the United States, and the fourth largest if we include the European Union. It is in this backdrop the world wants India to declare ‘net-zero’ and putting pressure on it to do so by 2050 or 2060.

While putting pressure on India the world, especially the developed nations, are engaged is tarnishing the image of the country as the third largest emitter and have been trying to conceal the fact that India is already an overachiever on its promises and is committed to “being part of the solution” at the upcoming United Nations Climate Summit in Glasgow. Moreover, it has historically contributed only 4 per cent of total emissions since 1850s. The cumulative emissions were of the developed countries because of which we have landed into the present climate crisis.

India has so far, not only fulfilled its promises regarding climate action but also has been declared and overachiever by the Emission Gap Report 2021. It present non-binding Nationally Determined Contributions NDC of 2015 as per the Paris Agreement has envisaged an economy-wide emission intensity target of 33-35 per cent below 2005, electric power capacity target of 40 per cent installed capacity from non-fossil-based energy resources, though are conditional to international support, and creating a carbon sink expansion target of creating a cumulative additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. The report has estimated that India would be able to reduce its emissions to the levels at least 15 per cent lower than its previous unconditional NDC. The country is thus an overachiever as against the failure of the developed countries on their promises, apart from deception, vagueness, and lack of clearly defined rules, target and transparency which can be seen in the report.

Though the criticism of scientific ‘net-zero’ will be self-defeating at the national or global level, and must be avoided, the world must not try to lay the trap of net-zero for India, only because the achievement of India so far indicate “significant room” for more ambitious goals, while the developed nations are not coming forward with establishment of climate justice, finance, and technology transfer for this purpose. Instead the rich countries need to acknowledge their “historic responsibility” for emissions and protect the interest of developing nations and those vulnerable to climate change, as India has categorically said. Moreover, India has reached its climate targets without the promised financing from rich nations. The cost of meeting the target was estimated in 2019 to be $2.5 trillion.

It would be wise for the developed nations to help the developing and least developed nations because without cooperation they will have to compromise on development and relying on dirty fuels. In case of India, it is the world’s second-largest user of coal and has a vast reserve. India is trying its best to keep down its overall share in the energy mix of the country with great success. However, the world is putting pressure on the country against using coal on the logic that it increases carbon footprint in the climate to dangerous levels.

There is no denying the merit of this logic, but issue of carbon footprint cannot be treated one sided. On the one hand the developing nations need space to grow, and on the other it is not the birthright of the developed nations to put huge amount of carbon in the atmosphere. China has announced net zero target by 2060 but by that time it would add a staggering 450 gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere. The United States of America and European Union have promised net-zero by 2050, but they would release 92 and 62 gigatons into the environment. Thus India has a point in criticizing the net-zero trap in which developed countries want the country to fall into.

As for the global climate finance, the latest OECD assessment of progress released in September 2021, showed that climate finance provided and mobilized by developed countries totalled only USD 79.6 billion in 2019, that was up by only 2 per cent from 2018. The $100 billion mark is unlikely to have been met in 2020, although the necessary verified data needed to finalise this determination officially will not be available before 2022. The new analysis by OECD says that this mark could be achieved only by 2023. This situation is prevailing despite the commitment given by the developed countries to meet it in 2020 and to be sustained until 2025.

The real value of ‘net-zero’ is thus not lying in the term and its concept, but the honest actions on the part of all the parties participating in COP26. The conclave must not use the term as a trap for smaller fishes, but build a concrete, transparent, clearly defined rules and target for every country of the world on the basis of Climate Justice. We must not choose ‘self-extinction’ and the historical responsibilities lie on developed countries. (IPA Service)