 "The green deal: Renewable energy became the new buzzword in 2021")
The UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) brought together 120 world leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the occasion to announce 2070 as India’s target to reach net-zero carbon emissions, two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India also committed to use renewable energy to meet 50% of its energy needs and reduce carbon emission by 1 billion tonnes by 2030. The talks ended with a deal to address the climate crisis but only after a last-minute intervention by India — backed by China and other coal-reliant nations — calling on parties to accelerate efforts to “phase down” rather than “phase out” coal power, the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The intervention caused an uproar among developed countries, which expressed their ‘deep disappointment’, but experts said India’s per capita carbon dioxide emissions are already well below the world average.
On February 7, a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district broke off, sweeping away bridges, destroying dams and power plants, and leaving over 200 people dead or missing. The incident — reminiscent of the 2013 Kedarnath flash floods and subsequent landslides that killed thousands of people and washed away settlements — raised questions about the government’s decision to build a dam so close to the glacier given the fragility of the area.
Images of Tuvalu’s Foreign Minister Simon Kofe recording a speech for the United Nations COP26 climate summit — standing in a suit and tie at a lectern set up in the sea, trouser legs rolled up — went viral on social media, drawing attention to the Pacific island nation’s struggle for survival with sea levels rising. Tuvalu is considering legal options to maintain ownership of its maritime zones and recognition as a state even if it is completely submerged due to climate change.
In November, Maruti Suzuki Toyotsu India opened its first government-approved end-of-life vehicle scrapping and recycling unit in Noida, three months after the country announced a policy to phase out unfit and polluting vehicles in an environmentally friendly manner. The phaseout of older vehicles is expected to reduce air pollution by at least 25%. The year also saw India bring in an additional ‘green’ tax on car sales to help fight high levels of air pollution.
India’s electric vehicle (EV) sector had a dream run in 2021, led by Ola Electric’s long-awaited but record-breaking scooter launch. EV registrations more than doubled in 2021, in line with the government’s goal to have at least 30% of all new vehicle sales coming from EVs by 2030. While Jio-bp, the fuels and mobility joint venture between Reliance Industries and bp, announced it will set up a network of EV charging stations and battery-swap stations, Tesla Power is planning to install 5,000 two-wheeler EV charging points across India ahead of the carmaker’s ‘imminent’ entry in the market.
On May 17, Tauktae, the most powerful cyclone in more than two decades, battered India’s west coast, sinking an ONGC oilfield barge and killing over 80 people onboard in one of the world’s worst offshore oilfield disasters in recent memory. An Indian Navy warship rescued hundreds of people from two other ONGC barges. Experts caution that the rising sea surface temperature would intensify cyclones, particularly in the Arabian Sea.
Between June and July, hundreds died as a result of a heatwave in the US and the Canadian Pacific Northwest as temperatures soared to 49.6°C. Globally, temperatures have risen by about 1.2°C compared to a 100 years ago. The Indian weather department has said the rise has been about 0.6°C, with more in the northern, central, and eastern parts, and less over peninsular India.
Nearly 50 people were killed and several houses washed away as rains led to flash floods and landslides in many parts of Kerala in October. The situation, which brought back memories of the 2018 floods, led to criticism, with experts calling it an “invited disaster” as governments continued with rock quarrying, construction of buildings, and destruction of forest in the highly economic zones despite warnings.
October and November once again saw people in the National Capital Region of Delhi dealing with toxic air pollution. Like every year, despite fines and bans, stubble burning by farmers in the adjacent states of Punjab and Haryana contributed to this. And like previous years, the Supreme Court and the green tribunal came down heavily on the authorities, and the governments took temporary measures to address the situation. India’s efforts to reduce stubble burning, which accounts for 30% to 40% of winter air pollution, have, however, failed to address the issue.
In July and August, firefighters used helicopters to battle one of the most devastating wildfires in Turkey. The fires, among a series of wildfires, were caused by a heatwave – a result of climate change. In India, the government informed Parliament that 345,989 forest-fire alerts were issued between November 2020 and June 2021, the most in the past three years.