India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi burnished his country's climate credentials on Monday, saying policies were being made in India not only for the present “but keeping in mind our targets for the next 25 years”.
Speaking virtually before the World Economic Forum, Mr Modi criticised the world's “throwaway culture and consumerism” that had only exacerbated the climate emergency.
India has announced a goal of net-zero emissions by 2070 — a less ambitious target than China, the world’s biggest polluter, which has set its sights on reaching the goal by 2060, 10 years after the US and the EU.
Mr Modi pointed out that India’s population of 1.38 billion people emits much less per capita compared to other countries.
India emitted 1.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide per head in 2019, compared with 15.5 tonnes in the US and 12.5 tonnes in Russia.
“India has set targets for high growth and welfare and wellness for all. This period of growth will be green, it will be clean, it will be sustainable. It will be reliable as well,” Mr Modi said.
He told the WEF that, amid global warming, the world must accept “that our lifestyles, too, are a big challenge for the climate".
“It is very essential that we move from today's take, make, use, dispose economy and move towards a circular economy.”
Mr Modi also called for a collective global effort to tackle the problems posed by cryptocurrencies.
India's central bank has voiced “serious concerns” over digital currencies, saying they may affect financial stability, while the government has considered introducing regulations related to cryptocurrencies.
“The kind of technology it is associated with, the decision taken by a single country will be insufficient to deal with its challenges. We have to have a similar mindset,” the Indian prime minister said.
