India sets up committee for implementation of climate change targets

The Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement (AIPA) will have members from 14 ministries.

The Centre has set up a committee which will oversee the implementation of climate change targets that India has committed to under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
 
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on Wednesday issued a Gazette notification on forming a high-level inter-ministerial Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement (AIPA).
 
“The purpose of the AIPA is to generate a coordinated response on climate change matters which ensures that India is on track to meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement, including its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC),” said the public statement by MoEFCC.
 
At the G20 summit last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said India was not only meeting its Paris Agreement targets but was exceeding them.
 
India has made eight commitments under the NDC, which has three quantitative goals — reduction in the emissions intensity of gross domestic product (GDP) by 33-35 per cent over 2005 levels by 2030; achieving about 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030; and creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

 
Last week, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar had said India is on track to achieve the first goal (on emissions intensity) well before 2030.
 
The Centre’s notification said the AIPA would operate as a national authority to regulate carbon markets in India, formulate guidelines for consideration of projects or activities, issue guidelines on carbon pricing, market mechanism, and other similar instruments that have a bearing on climate change and NDCs.
 
It will also take note of the contribution made by the private sector as well as multi- and bi-lateral agencies in the field of climate change and provide guidance for aligning their climate actions with national priorities.
 
The AIPA will have members from 14 ministries and will be chaired by the MOEFCC secretary. The constituent ministries include health, power, renewable energy, finance, science & technology, jal shakti, earth sciences, urban affairs, rural development, commerce & industry, apart from the government’s policy think-tank, the NITI Aayog.