India’s latest climate pledge envisions only modest new reductions in fossil fuel dependence through 2035.
The plan, which India’s executive approved Wednesday, comes more than a year after the Paris Agreement’s initial deadline for countries to submit their 2035 national targets. It commits the world’s most populous country to cut its emissions intensity 47 percent from 2005 levels by 2035, and to grow its share of non-fossil fuel electric capacity to 60 percent from just over 50 percent currently.
India’s previous targets from 2022 aimed to cut its emissions intensity — the amount of carbon pollution produced per unit of economic activity — by 45 percent by 2030. It reached its electricity capacity goal of 50 percent last year.
“India’s climate action has been sustained and ambitious, and its track record clearly shows the achievement of our targets ahead of time,” states a government press release issued following the Indian Cabinet’s approval of the new targets.
