No firm commitment from India on net zero, says John Kerry

Emissions target not the only priority, govt. tells U.S. climate envoy

The world is watching commitments on climate change made by all “big emitters” said U.S. Special envoy John Kerry on Tuesday. He was making a pitch for India to announce a pledge to reduce emissions to “net zero” (carbon-neutral) by 2050 — to ensure global warming is held at 1.5 degrees Celsius — at the upcoming COP26 summit in the UK in November.

However, the government said it does not consider the “net zero” goal its only priority at present, and Mr. Kerry admitted that he had not received a firm pledge from New Delhi on the issue yet.

Speaking at the end of his visit to Delhi, where he launched the U.S.-India Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue with Minister of Environment and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, Mr. Kerry said he had “personally urged the government” to increase India’s commitments to ensure global warming levels are held at 1.5 degrees, instead of the 2 degrees announced at the Paris summit in 2015. Mr. Kerry said it is important to announce this as a part of India’s “Nationally Determined Contributions” (NDCs) now, as the next decade is critical for the battle against climate change.