New Delhi: India’s G20 presidency is crucial for resolving climate finance issues and scaling up global mitigation efforts, Germany’s climate envoy Jennifer Morgan said here on Wednesday (February 15). She also stressed the need to accelerate energy transition and “phase out all fossil fuels”.”I think this G20 presidency is key for COP (Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and laying the groundwork for the COP…on finance issues but also on how we work together to scale up our efforts on mitigation,” Ms Morgan said during a talk on the subject “From Sharm-el-Sheikh to Dubai”.
The Special Envoy for International Climate Action in the German Foreign Ministry said,
We know that we are not on track to keep within the 1.5 degree limit and we are actually on (the path to) 2.6 (degrees Celsius), 2.8 (degrees Celsius). And, if you look at what happened here last summer, heatwaves… Cannot imagine what it was like here.
Keeping global temperature rise below the 1.5 degree limit (as compared to pre-industrial levels) is important to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Researchers say the majority of the world’s poorest countries are on course to meet the 1.5 degree Celsius limit, but without adequate levels of financial support they may pursue carbon-intensive development pathways through the 2020s and 2030s and overshoot their fair levels of emissions after their “currently fair” 2030 targets.
Earth’s global surface temperature has already increased by around 1.1 degrees Celsius as compared to the pre-industrial (1850–1900) average and this warming is considered the reason behind record droughts, wildfires and floods worldwide. At COP27 in Egypt’s Sharm-el-Sheikh, India had stressed that only one fossil fuel cannot be made the villain and that meeting the long-term goal of the Paris Agreement requires “phase down of all fossil fuels”.
India’s call was backed by many developed and developing countries, including the EU and the US, but the final agreement did not essentially build on what was agreed upon in COP26.
COP 28 is scheduled to be held in Dubai later this year.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
