India-US to launch 'Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership'

US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to launch a high-level India-US Partnership which envisages bilateral cooperation to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. In a joint statement issued, both the countries agreed to launch the 'Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership'.

New Delhi: At the Leaders’ Summit on Climate hosted by the US on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joseph Biden agreed to launch a high-level India-US Partnership which envisages bilateral cooperation on strong actions in the current decade to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

According to the joint statement issued, "India and the United States are launching the Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership.”

Led by Prime Minister Modi and President Biden, the partnership will represent one of the core venues for India-US collaboration and focus on driving urgent progress in this critical decade for climate action".

Both India and the United States have set ambitious 2030 targets for climate action and clean energy. In its new nationally determined contribution, the United States has set an economy-wide target of reducing its net greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52 per cent below 2005 levels in 2030, the statement from the Ministry of External Affairs read.

As part of its climate mitigation efforts, India has set a target of installing 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030. Through the partnership, India and the United States are firmly committed to working together in achieving their ambitious climate and clean energy targets and to strengthening bilateral collaboration across climate and clean energy.

According to the statement, the partnership will aim to mobilize finance and speed clean energy deployment; demonstrate and scale innovative clean technologies needed to decarbonize sectors including industry, tram transportation, power, and buildings; and build capacity to measure, manage, and adapt to the risks of climate-related impacts.

The partnership will proceed along two main tracks: the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership and the Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue, which will build on and subsume a range of existing processes.

Through this collaboration, India and the United States aim to demonstrate how the world can align swift climate action with inclusive and resilient economic development, taking into account national circumstances and sustainable development priorities.

According to the statement issued by the White House earlier, President Biden took action on his first day in office to return the United States to the Paris Agreement. Days later, on January 27, he announced that he would soon convene a leaders’ summit to galvanize efforts by the major economies to tackle the climate crisis.

The Leaders Summit on Climate provided a platform to underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action. It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.