Editorial | Climate Crisis & India

The global climate crisis continues to threaten everyone as things are worsening with passage of each day. India nonetheless still upholds its promises and impresses in the fight against the impending climate change. Despite multiple commitments over the time, the climate catastrophe seems to be persisting. The country aspires to have zero net carbon emissions by 2070. The prior objective of a 33-35 percent decline from 2005 levels has been surpassed by India’s ambition to lower the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 percent by 2030. This will include reducing all greenhouse emissions, including carbon dioxide. India has already committed to a number of important goals for the year 2021, focusing its environmental regulations on combating climate change. According to the Prime Minister, who made this claim during the crucial international climate summit, only India is carrying out the commitments of the Paris Agreement in their purest form. The nation’s year-round air pollution is caused by a variety of factors, including industrial pollutants, vehicle emissions, and emissions from coal-fired power plants. Air pollution accounts for 10% of the burden of disease in India, ranking second only to hunger in terms of risk of disease. Delhi ranked fourth on a list of 50 of the world’s most polluted cities in terms of PM2. 5 levels in 2022, according to the World Air Quality Report prepared by IQAir. Delhi had an average PM2. 5 level of 92.6 μg/m3 in 2022, a little below the average of 96.4 μg/m3 in 2021 even as 39 of the top 50 most polluted cities in the world are located in India. In an effort to lower the graph, the nation intends to create electricity from non-coal or non-gas sources by 2030. India also has launched a campaign called “Plastic Hackathon 2021” to ensure that it is plastic-free by the year 2022 since plastic waste is a dangerous factor that interferes with climatic conditions. It is crucial to monitor each of these efforts and objectives in an effort to stop the climatic phenomenon.