Global media hails India’s commitment in COP26 summit

INTERNATIONAL DESK: There has been marked change in how leading international media covered India’s role in COP 21 in 2015 compared with the ongoing COP 26 in Glasgow just within a gap of six years.

In 2015 BBC in its coverage mentioned India along with China and South Africa and said that almost nothing binding on these countries. However in 2021, there was standalone coverage by BBC of PM Narendra Modi’s national statement (cut its emissions to net zero by 2070) at Glasgow on November 1.

“India is the world’s fourth biggest emitter of carbon dioxide after China, the US and the EU. But its huge population means its emissions per capita are much lower than other major world economies. India emitted 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per head of population in 2019, compared with 15.5 tonnes for the US and 12.5 tonnes for Russia that year. Mr Modi made the pledge as one of five commitments from his country,” BBC stated in its report on India’s commitment on net zero.

“India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi used most of his time in front of his fellow world leaders to underline the need for lifestyle changes as the greatest solution to climate change. But Mr Modi saved his biggest news to the last minute.

Detailing what he termed were India’s “five elixirs” for climate, Mr Modi announced that his country would adopt a net zero emissions target – by 2070. This is quite a significant step for the world’s third largest emitter, still getting more than 50% of the country’s electricity from coal,” according to the BBC report.

In 2015 India was mentioned by Euractiv along with China and Saudi Arabia being on board for the Paris agreement. The same media platform in 2021 published a standalone news item on PM’s commitment on net zero target.

The Guardian from the UK in 2015 called India a “mega emitter” but in 2021 there was big coverage of PM’s announcement and described the 2070 target in line with what many climate experts have modelled as the most feasible scenario for India to achieve net zero.

Similarly, Time also had a different approach in 2021 compared to 2015. Time in its report stated that India needed to sign onto whatever deal negotiators reach in Paris for the agreement to have legitimacy. However, in the current COP, Time covered the Indian position in a positive fashion.

Time in its report pointed out that India would have one billion metric tons off its projected carbon emissions by 2030 and reduce the carbon intensity by 45% from 2005 levels. That’s up from the 33%-35% target it submitted in Paris in 2015, it reported. The country also plans to get half of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, increasing its non-polluting energy capacity to 500GW, up from a 450GW goal set in 2015, according to the Time report. (The Economic Times)