Frans Timmermans, the climate policy chief of the European Commission began his two-day visit to India on Thursday to meet several ministers and think tank officials.
Frans Timmermans, European Commission’s Climate Policy Chief (Photo: Twitter/@EUinDE)
As a part of this diplomatic mission Frans Timmermans, the executive vice president of the European green deal had a bilateral meeting with Prahlad Joshi, Minister of coal mines and Parliamentary Affairs.
This will be followed up with bilateral meetings with Minister for environment forests and climate change, Bhupendra Yadav; Minister for Petroleum and natural gas, Hardeep Puri and Minister for Power and New and renewable energy, Raj Kumar Singh throughout Thursday and Friday.
According to the EU delegation to India and Bhutan, Timmermans will be deliberating on the trajectory towards the COP 28 UN climate change conference which is to be held later this year with government representatives and civil society, and also discuss the latest progress and
development that have been made at the national level on issues like environmental protection clean energy transition and emission reductions.
The former Dutch foreign minister will also discuss the EU-India collaboration on climate action and clean energy transition on Friday with the students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
The EU chief will also be attending a high-level roundtable with national think tanks of India, business representatives, and civil society. It will be organized by the Council on Energy, environment, and Water. Mr Timmerman will also deliver a speech centered on ‘Future Frontiers: competitiveness technology sustainability and Internationalization’, at the annual session of the Confederation of Indian Industry later on Thursday.
The meetings aim at developing further cooperation and exploring potential opportunities and arenas for collaboration between the European Union (EU) and India in handling the pressing challenges posed by climate change.
On Saturday, Timmermans will be on his way to Maldives where he will be meeting President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to talk over the ongoing preparations towards COP 28 and the growing implications of climate change on the islands. He is also scheduled to discuss with the younger generations the challenges posed by the climate crisis and the possible ways to move forward to mitigate the challenges.
UAE launched COP 28 logo (Source: Energy Live News)
India’s Climate Change Agenda
The developing countries of the Global South are the biggest stakeholders of the disproportionate implications of climate change, despite having contributed the least to global carbon emissions.
Climate change threatens food and water security, poses multiple health risks, and environmental degradation. India has shown leadership potential and has been on track to making positive progress toward handling climate change issues.
Prime Minister Modi announced India’s target of achieving net zero emissions by 2070 at COP 26 in Glasgow. India is committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030 from its 2005 level and also deriving about 50% of its cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.
Life (Lifestyle for Environment) Mission was launched by Prime Minister Modi on 20th October 2022 as a global initiative to combat climate change. India is also leading the international solar alliance as well, along with the coalition for disaster-resilient infrastructure, thereby showcasing a strong example of a development with responsibility, wherein development aspirations align with climate actions.
