India targets net-zero by 2070

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on November 1 said the south Asian nation is looking to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. He made the pledge at the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

The pledge was among the five commitments by the prime minister at the summit. This is the first time New Delhi has spelt out the targets. 

Modi also committed that India will reach its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030 and meet 50% of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030. India will reduce the total projected carbon emissions by 1bn metric tons from now onwards till 2030. By the end of this decade, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by less than 45%, Modi added.

The Indian prime minister said that New Delhi expects the developed countries to provide climate finance at the earliest.

“Today, when India has resolved to move forward with a new commitment and a new energy, so in such times, the transfer of climate finance and low-cost climate technologies becomes more important,” Modi said. “India expects developed countries to provide climate finance of $1 trillion at the earliest. Today it is necessary that as we track the progress made in climate mitigation, we should also track climate finance.”

India is the last of the world's major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the US and the EU aiming for 2050.