US Climate Envoy on a Visit to India

United States Special Presidential Envoy, John Kerry is set to visit India on a 5-day trip from 25 to 29 July. As informed by the US State Department, Kerry will meet senior government officials in Delhi. Kerry will also visit Chennai where he will attend the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministers (ECSM) Meeting on July 28. 

The main objective of Kerry’s visit includes shared interests in advancing renewable and clean energy and promoting mutual efforts to build platforms for investment in renewable energy and storage systems. Moreover, the two countries also aim to support the deployment of zero-emission buses and focus on diversifying clean energy supply chains. 

Kerry’s Visit to China

Before India, John Kerry was on a 4-day visit to China which ended on July 19. Though the two nations did not engage in any new agreements, the US Convoy expressed satisfaction that two of the world’s biggest polluters have restarted discussions which earlier were on a hiatus due to the Taiwan issue. As reported by the Washington Post, Kerry said that the China visit was not a disappointing one, and just the initiative to meet signifies progress. 

 In Kerry’s words, “We had very frank conversations, but we came here to break new ground. It is clear that we are going to need a little more work.” Chinese President Xi JinPing reiterated in a speech that China will work towards reducing its Carbon emission levels according to their pace, in their way.

India’s Road to Achieve Sustainability

India is currently focusing more on sustainable energy. Recently, in the G20 Energy Ministerial Meeting in Goa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a video message wherein he stated that India is planning to achieve 50 percent non-fossil installed capacity by 2030. 

PM Modi also addressed the importance of energy in sustaining the growth, prosperity and development of individuals and nations alike. Furthermore, he said that the pathway for energy transition to renewable energy is the ultimate goal of every country. The Indian Prime Minister also said that India is a global leader in producing solar and wind energy and is diligently working towards great growth in green energy. 

G20 ECSWG Meeting in India

The third round of the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) took place on July 21 in Mumbai. Earlier two meetings were held in Bengaluru in February and Gandhinagar in March. The third meeting was a 3-day event that witnessed the participation of 141 delegates from G20 countries, invitee countries along with 14 international and regional organisations. 

The key focus of the meeting was Blue Economy, supported by a Mega Beach Cleanup event and Oceans 20 dialogue. The Mega Beach Cleanup event took place at the Juhu beach of Mumbai which saw participation from 20 countries. Ocean 20 Dialogue brought along scientists, policymakers, innovators and other industry leaders to discuss challenges in achieving a blue economy at various levels. 

Blue economy, land degradation and promoting circular economy were the three priorities outlined at the ECSWG. There were also discussions on science, technology, innovation and financing of the blue economy. The fourth and final meetings on ECSWG will be held in Chennai from July 27-29. John Kerry will attend the Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministers (ECSM) meeting on July 28.