Speech by PM Narendra Modi at UNFCCC COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow

Speech by PM  Narendra Modi at UNFCCC COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow on November 2, 2021

Friends,

Today I am representing amid you, the land which gave this mantra thousands of years ago-

सम्-गच्छ-ध्वम्,
सम्-व-दद्वम् ,
सम् वो मानसि जानताम्।

Today in the 21st century, this mantra has become more important, has become more relevant.

सम्-गच्छ-ध्वम् – That is, let’s move together सम्-व-दद्वम् – That is, let’s all interact togetherand सम् वो मनानसि जानताम् – That is, everyone’s minds should also be one.

When I first came to Paris for the Climate Summit, it was not my intention to add one promise to the many promises being made in the world. I came with a concern, for the whole of humanity. I came as a representative of a culture that gave the message of ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah’ means that everyone should be happy.

And so, for me the event in Paris was not a summit, it was a sentiment, a commitment. And India was not making those promises to the world, but 125 crore Indians were making those promises to themselves.

And I am happy that a developing country like India, which is working to lift crores of people out of poverty, which is working day and night on the Ease of Living for crores of people, despite having 17% of the world’s population today, whose responsibility in emissions has been only 5%, still India has left no stone unturned to show that it has fulfilled its obligation.

Today the whole world believes that India is the only big economy, which has delivered in letter and spirit on the Paris Commitment. We are making every effort with determination, working hard, and showing results.

Today, when I have come among you, I have also brought India’s track record. My words are not just words, they are cheers of bright future for the future generations. Today India is at number four in the world in installed renewable energy capacity. India’s non-fossil fuel energy has increased by more than 25% in the last 7 years. And now it has reached 40% of our energy mix.

Passengers numbering more than the entire population of the world travel by Indian Railways every year. This huge railway system has set itself a target of making itself ‘Net Zero’ by 2030. This initiative alone will lead to a reduction of 60 million tonnes of emissions annually. Similarly, our massive LED bulb campaign is reducing emissions by 40 million tonnes annually. Today, India is working fast on many such initiatives with a strong will.

Along with this, India has also given institutional solutions to cooperate with the world at the international level. As a revolutionary step in solar power, we initiated the International Solar Alliance. We have created a coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure for climate adaptation. This is a sensitive and vital initiative to save crores of lives.

I would like to draw your attention to one more important topic. Today the world is recognizing that lifestyle has a big role in climate change. I propose to you today a One-Word Movement. This One-Word, in the context of climate, can become the basic foundation of One World. This word is  LIFE, that is, Lifestyle For Environment Today. There is a need for all of us to come together with collective participation to take Lifestyle For Environment (LIFE) forward as a campaign. This can become a mass movement of Environmentally Conscious Lifestyle. 

What is needed today is mindful and deliberate utilization, instead of mindless and destructive consumption. These movements together can set goals that can revolutionize many sectors such and diverse areas such as fishing, agriculture, wellness, dietary choices, packaging, housing, hospitality, tourism, clothing, fashion, water management, and energy.

These are topics where each of us has to make conscious choices every day. These daily choices of billions of people around the world will take the fight against climate change, billions of steps forward every day. And I consider it as a movement on every ground whether on economic grounds, on scientific grounds, on the basis of the experiences of the past century, it meets every criterion. This is the path of self-realization. This is the only way to benefit.

In the midst of this global brainstorming on climate change, on behalf of India, I would like to present five nectar elements, Panchamrit, to deal with this challenge:

1. India will reach its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030.
2. India will meet 50% of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.
3. India will reduce the total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now onwards till 2030.
4. By 2030, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by less than 45%.
5. By the year 2070, India will achieve the target of Net Zero. 

These Panchamrits will be an unprecedented contribution of India to climate action.

We all know this truth that the promises made till date regarding climate finance have proved to be hollow. While we all are raising our ambitions on climate action, the world ambitions on climate finance cannot remain the same as they were at the time of the Paris Agreement. Today, when India has resolved to move forward with a new commitment and a new energy, the transfer of climate finance and low cost climate technologies becomes more important. India expects developed countries to provide climate finance of US$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. The proper justice would be that the countries which do not live up to their promises made on climate finance, must be pressured too.

Today India is moving forward on the subject of climate with great courage and great ambition. India also understands the suffering of all other developing countries, shares them, and will continue to express their expectations.

For many developing countries, climate change is looming large over their existence. We have to take big steps today to save the world. This is the need of the hour and this will also prove the relevance of this forum. I am confident that the decisions taken in Glasgow will save the future of our future generations, giving them the gift of a secure and prosperous life.

Speaker Sir, I took more time, I apologize to you, but I consider it as my duty to raise the voice of developing countries. That’s why I have emphasized on that too. I once again thank you very much.

2021 WMO Provisional State of the Global Climate 2021 Report

On October 31, 2021, the day of the opening of the COP 26 Climate Conference in Glasgow, UK, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released ‘The Provisional State of the Global Climate 2021 report.’

The key messages of the report on 2021 climate were:

Greenhouse Gases: 

• Atmospheric concentrations of the major greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, continued to increase in 2020 and 2021. The growth rate of all three greenhouse gases in 2020 was above the average for the last decade despite a 5.6% drop in fossil fuel CO2 emissions in 2020 due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Global warming: 

• Global mean temperature in 2021 (January to September) is around 1.08 ±0.13 °C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average and the year is likely to be between the 5th and 7th warmest year on record. 2021 is cooler than recent years owing to La Niña conditions early in the year. 

Sea level and Ocean: 

• The rate of global sea level rise has increased since satellite altimeter measurements began in 1993, reaching 4.4 mm/yr between 2013 and 2021. Global mean sea level reached a new record high in 2021. 
• Ocean heat content reached new record highs in 2019 and then 2020, the latest year for which a comprehensive analysis is available. Ocean warming rates show a particularly strong increase in the past two decades. 

Global Cryosphere:

• Changes in the global cryosphere in 2021 were consistent with recent multi-decadal trends, with below-normal Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover and end-of-summer Arctic sea ice area, negative mass balances on mountain glaciers and the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets, and near-normal Antarctic sea ice cover. 
• The summer heat wave in western North America took a toll on the region's mountain glaciers, with exceptional mass losses in the Cascade, southern Coast, and Rocky Mountains. Mass loss at some glaciers in southwestern British Columbia was the greatest in the instrumental record (1965-2021). 
• Greenland experienced an exceptional mid-August melt event which included temperatures above 0°C and rainfall at Summit Station, the highest point on the ice sheet. This is the first time that rain has been observed at Summit, and marks the third time in the last nine years that the Summit has experienced melting conditions. Ice core records indicate that only one such melt event occurred in the 20th century. 

Extreme Weather Events:

• Exceptional heatwaves affected western North America on several occasions during June and July. Lytton, in south-central British Columbia, reached 49.6 °C on 29 June, breaking the previous Canadian national record by 4.6 °C. 569 heat-related deaths were reported in British Columbia alone between 20 June and 29 July. 
• Death Valley, California reached 54.4 °C on 9 July, equalling a similar 2020 value as the highest recorded in the world since at least the 1930s. 
• Extreme heat affected the broader Mediterranean region on several occasions during the second half of the Northern Hemisphere summer. The most exceptional heat was in the second week of August. On 11 August, an agrometeorological station near Syracuse in Sicily reached 48.8 °C, a provisional European record. 
• The most significant hurricane of the North Atlantic season was Ida. Ida made landfall in Louisiana on 29 August with sustained 1-minute winds of 240 km/h, the equal-strongest landfall on record for the state, with major wind damage and storm surge inundation. The system continued on a northeast track over land with significant flooding, especially in the New York City area. In total, 72 direct and 43 indirect deaths were attributed to Ida in the US and Venezuela, with economic losses in the United States estimated at US$63.8 billion. 
• Extreme rainfall hit Henan Province of China from 17 to 21 July. On 20 July, the city of Zhengzhou received 201.9 mm of rainfall in one hour (a Chinese national record), 382 mm in 6 hours, and 720 mm for the event as a whole, more than its annual average. The city experienced extreme flash flooding with many buildings, roads and subways inundated. 302 deaths were attributed to the flooding, and economic losses of US$17.7 billion were reported. 
• Western Europe experienced some of its most severe flooding on record in mid-July. The worst-affected area was western Germany and eastern Belgium, where 100 to 150 mm fell over a wide area on 14-15 July over wet ground. The highest daily rainfall was 162.4 mm at Wipperfürth-Gardenau (Germany). Numerous rivers experienced extreme flooding, with several towns inundated, and there were also several landslides. 179 deaths were reported in Germany and 36 in Belgium, with economic losses in Germany exceeding US$20 billion.

India:

• The progress and withdrawal of the Indian Monsoon was delayed but overall Indian monsoon rainfall was close to average, with above-average falls in the west offset by below-average values in the northeast. During the course of the season, 529 deaths in India and 198 in Pakistan (as of 30 September) were attributed to flooding with further deaths in Bangladesh and Nepal6.
• The most severe cyclone of the North Indian Ocean season was Tauktae, which tracked north off the west coast of India, with a peak 3-minute sustained wind speed76 of 50-53 m/s, before making landfall in Gujarat on 17 May at slightly below peak intensity, the equal strongest known landfall in Gujarat. At least 144 deaths were reported in India and 4 in Pakistan77. 
• Later in the season, Cyclone Gulab crossed the eastern coast of India from the Bay of Bengal in late September; the remnant system crossed India before emerging and re-intensifying in the Arabian Sea, where it was renamed Shaheen. 
• Shaheen made landfall on 3 October on the northern Oman coast northwest of Muscat, the first cyclone since 1890 to make landfall in this area. Al Suwaiq recorded 294 mm rain in 24 hours, about three times the region’s annual average. 39 deaths were reported across India, Pakistan, Oman and Iran, mostly from flooding.