US President Donald Trump’s rethink on the Paris climate accord has sent shock waves across the world with environmentalists worrying about its long-term impact on the fight against climate change, particularly in countries like India and China. The US is the world’s largest polluter.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has indicated India will stand by the Paris accord irrespective of the US decision, world leaders have come out strongly against Trump’s move and experts have warned of dangerous consequences of such adventurist move on part of the US.
On Wednesday in Madrid, Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy expressed their commitment to fighting climate change and reiterated their support for implanting the Kyoto and Paris accords.
In a joint statement issued following talks in the Spanish capital, the two countries said taking action on climatic change was a priority for both nations.
Later, in Berlin Modi said it would be a “crime” to spoil the environment for future generations as the world awaits a decision on US climate policy.
Trump has often said the US did not get a “fair deal” in the Paris accord, which was agreed upon by more than 190 countries at the initiative of his predecessor Barack Obama.
If the US withdraws, it will be “unfair” towards India and the rest of the countries, said NavrozDubash, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research. “Any weakening of support of the Paris Agreement is bad news for India, as we are a vulnerable country,” said Dubash, who works on climate and energy research.
“However, India’s transition to cleaner and renewable energy sources is not going to stop,” said Aarti Khosla, a Delhi-based independent consultant on climate and energy issues. India’s push towards clean energy is also not heavily dependent on multilateral aid.
Both Aarti and Dubash pointed to the falling prices of solar power and other clean energy technology, that make it commercially viable and supportive of India’s development and energy security concerns.
Also, Khosla said the bids for four big power plant projects were canceled in May, as solar has become commercially feasible.
Dubash, however, spoke of some national details that lie beyond broad cross-country studies, such as Climate Action Trackers (CAT).
India is doing good, not because it won’t use more coal, but because it will use less than what it would have otherwise done. Fifty gigawatt (GW) of coal-fired power plants are in the pipeline, for the country’s needs. This is less than the earlier estimated amount.
However, it is more than all of South Africa’s system. For now, said Dubash, India should give a clear signal, by allying itself with other nations supporting the Paris Accord and work towards holding the US accountable.
A recent the New York Times editorial, quoting the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) data, wrote that “India is now expected to obtain 40 per cent of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2022, eight years ahead of schedule” and that “China and India’s enthusiasm for cleaner energy arises in part from a wish to reduce the terrible air pollution that afflicts cities like Beijing and New Delhi”.
Dr Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, said the changes in China and India “if continued and accelerated” meant it would be possible to stop the world warming more than 1.5C - the most ambitious goal of the Paris agreement and one seen as essential to saving coral reefs and low lying island nations. The US would need to adopt similarly ambitious policies, he added.
