India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution: working towards climate justice

The Union Environment Ministry submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), committing to cut the emissions intensity of GDP by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 levels.The INDCs, which lay out the blueprint for tackling climate change, emphasised eight key goals — sustainable lifestyles, cleaner economic development, reducing emission intensity of GDP, increasing the share of non-fossil fuel based electricity, enhancing carbon sink, adaptation and mobilising finance, technology transfer and capacity building. Referring to India’s INDCs as “balanced and comprehensive”, Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change said that for a developing nation, India’s goals for tackling climate change were far more ambitious when compared to that of other developed countries.