Speaking in the presence of UN Secretary General António Guterres, at the Statue of Unity, PM Modi said that India is ranked fourth in wind energy and fifth in solar energy.
With a pledge to cut India’s emissions to net zero by 2070 during the COP 26 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), in the presence of UN Secretary General António Guterres, at the Statue of Unity, Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, said India's Renewable Energy (RE) capacity has increased by about 290 per cent in the last 7-8 years.
As renewable energy contributes enormously towards lowering GHG, India already has the fourth largest capacity for renewable energy in the world, said PM Modi. He added, “Today, we are ranked fourth in wind energy and fifth in solar energy. India's renewable energy capacity has increased by about 290 per cent in the last 7-8 years. We have also achieved the target of achieving 40 per cent of the electric capacity from non-fossil-fuel sources 9 years ahead of the deadline. We had also achieved a target of 10 per cent ethanol blending in petrol, and that too 5 months before the deadline. Through the National Hydrogen Mission, India has moved towards an environment-friendly energy source. This will help India and many countries of the world to achieve their goal of net zero. India has become a prime example of how progress and nature can go hand in hand. Now that India has also become the fifth largest economy in the world, our forest area is also increasing and the number of wildlife is also increasing.”
He also highlighted the global campaign of One Sun, One World, One Grid, and stated India wants to increase its partnership with the world even more while strengthening its resolve towards such goals. “By leading the creation of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, India has conveyed its concept towards environmental protection to the world. Mission LiFE is the next step in this series,” he said.
India’s carbon footprint:
Already committed to tackling the menace of climate change, India’s annual per capita carbon footprint is only about 1.5 tonnes, compared to the world average of 4 tonnes per year. Yet the country is working at the forefront to solve global problems like climate change. Of the many initiatives undertaken that aim to reduce India’s carbon footprint and will help the country to achieve its net zero targets in 2070 is the PLI scheme for solar modules. As solar will play a key role in RE, the government has approved a Rs 19,500-crore scheme under PLI to incentivise the manufacturing of domestic solar cell modules. This allocation is a follow-up to Rs 4,500 crore earlier cleared in November 2020 This will help reduce India's dependence on China-made panels.
What’s Mission?
First proposed by the PM at COP 26, it is envisioned as an India-led global mass movement to save the planet from the consequences of climate change.
Mission LiFE aims to follow a three-pronged strategy for changing our collective approach towards sustainability. First is by nudging individuals to practise simple yet effective environment-friendly actions in their daily lives (demand); second is by enabling industries and markets to respond swiftly to the changing demand (supply) and; third is to influence government and industrial policy to support both sustainable consumption and production.
