Government Vice-President for the European Inexperienced Deal, Frans Timmermans, on his two-day go to to India met with numerous cupboard ministers to set a roadmap for this yr’s COP 28 and has stated that stress on power effectivity, introduction of renewables and discount of unabated fossil fuels had been main considerations for each the European Union (EU) in addition to for India. Timmermans identified that the EU is just not making an attempt to single out coal of their try to cut back fossil gasoline consumption, however focusing on all fossil fuels.
India, together with China and different international locations from the worldwide south, had opposed the ‘phasing out’ of coal in favour of ‘phasing down’.
On his second go to to India as govt vice-president of the European Inexperienced Deal, the previous Dutch international minister held bilateral conferences with Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, Minister for Atmosphere, Forests and Local weather Change Bhupender Yadav, Minister for Energy and New and Renewable Vitality R Okay Singh, and Minister for Petroleum and Pure Gasoline Hardeep Puri, other than interacting with college students at IIT and addressing members of the CII.
“At COP 26 in Glasgow and COP 27 at Sharm El Sheikh , we labored very carefully with India to achieve consensus and had been in a position discover frequent floor. Now we’re on this large enterprise collectively, getting ready for COP 28 – whether or not there are specific points we are attempting to deliver to the desk, which I feel are in step with India’s priorities. Similar to, one thing that has been spearheaded by India for a very long time – power effectivity. We are able to proceed along with India and include international targets for power effectivity,” Timmermans, the European Fee’s local weather coverage chief, stated Friday.
Timmermans added that the second ingredient, which can also be very a lot a precedence with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is the introduction of renewable power on a big scale, and that the EU is hoping to achieve a consensus with India on targets on the worldwide stage.
“Clearly, now we have some frequent challenges, equivalent to simply transition for the coal mining sector the place maybe we will additionally trade experiences and be taught from one another. Additionally, I strongly consider that for those who take a look at the brand new applied sciences and the brand new industrial ecosystems which can be coming about, constructing electrolysers, photo voltaic panels, wind generators – I feel there may be large alternative for nearer cooperation between the European Union and India. I hope we will begin utilizing the commerce and know-how council to the very best impact,” stated Timmermans.
In his assembly with Yadav, the 2 officers mentioned making an attempt to ascertain a roadmap on points the place the European Union and India can agree. The discussions included problems with local weather finance, loss and harm, the opportunity of fossil fuels being changed by biofuels which shall be an enormous alternative for India’s agricultural sector, and nature preservation, particularly in gentle of accelerating excessive climate occasions.
“We should always deal with discount of all unabated fossil fuels. It’s not our intention to single out coal in that. It’s our intention to deal with all fossil fuels. Clearly, not all of them are as polluting. Some are extra polluting than others. Some are already phasing out in some elements of the world and never in different elements of the world. To succeed in consensus the perfect base is what India has proposed, that’s, to focus on all unabated fossil fuels. If we will proceed to develop applied sciences that may permit decarbonised fossil fuels for use, that may be nice. I nonetheless consider that the long run is with renewables as a result of they’re much cheaper and a rustic like India can have an abundance of RE after the correct investments and definitely on the idea of Prime Minister Modi’s plans. However we don’t have the luxurious to miss any resolution,” he stated Friday.
Timmermans additional stated that other than the worldwide stocktake, COP 28 in Dubai this yr may even study the progress made on guarantees of loss and harm finance in Egypt in addition to the restructuring of the structure of worldwide finance, to make it extra accessible to the worldwide south.
