COP26

Net Zero by 2070 a Bogus Claim, Modi Govt Destroying Green Laws While Making Global Pledges"   https://youtu.be/xFPY6_XyFp4?t=141  The Wire Nov 4, 2021

In one of the most ambitious targets by a developing country to combat climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the COP 26 Summit that India will achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. He also said that non-fossil energy capacity will be racked up to 500 GW by 2030, 50 per cent of the country's energy requirements will be met by renewable sources and India will strive towards a 1-billion-tonne reduction in its total projected emissions from now until 2030. What does India’s announcement of 5 COP pledges mean and how does this sit with the dramatic changes being made in environmental laws within the country? Mitali Mukherjee spoke with Congress Leader and Rajya Sabha MP Mr Jairam Ramesh on the targets that Prime Minister Modi had committed to before the world and whether they looked achievable.

Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh on net zero & domestic policies: Mongabay Sessions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui5sRcHt8Jc Jul 2, 2021

Jairam Ramesh was India’s environment minister for 26 months from 2009 to 2011. During this period he could attract attention to himself and his ministry with his public engagements and speaking orders. In this Mongabay Session, Ramesh talks about his days as the minister, the tricky political decisions that he had to take, his fascination for Indira Gandhi’s environmental decision-making, and options for India’s future energy policy.

Webinar: Can South Asia work together to combat climate change? https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/regional-cooperation/south-asia-climate-change-cooperation/ https://vimeo.com/569806298

Jairam Ramesh: 27:53: The concept of net-zero today is somewhat a bogus concept. What you’re saying is that you’re putting in as much as you’re taking out […] Do we have the technology today for taking it out today? […] I am more interested in the immediate milestones. I am sorry to say that the milestones of Paris have yet to be fulfilled. These COPs are basically exercises for keeping people in business, for making countries feel good about themselves. Frankly, it’s reached the limits of its utility [….] We should really have a hard look at the structure we have for arriving at decisions.”

1:36:46: “The immediate priority is to get countries to act within their borders, to have environmental laws, regulations, standards and institutions. Enforce those laws, enforce those standards and speak from a position of actual implementation. It’s very easy to be part of global meetings without having a track record at home. There is a dichotomy I see in India itself. We want to be international leaders when it comes to the environment, but what is our own track record when it comes to environmental management? The focus should really be on holding governments accountable to the commitments they’ve made, to the laws they have enacted. We should keep trying, we should keep at it, we should strengthen institutions such as ICIMOD and make use of well-wishers in the world. We have to move on multiple strands.”