Ending all speculation on whether the United States will force India to make a “net-zero” pledge, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said that the pledge was not an absolute requirement for India and it is already doing everything needed to get there in regards to climate action.
Kerry made the statement after meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (9 April), reports Times of India.
A lot of experts in India were fretting that America will use its powers to force India to make a “net-zero” pledge. However, Kerry made it very clear that to ask India to make a net-zero pledge was not his message to PM Modi.
Kerry said, “He (Modi) understands the challenge. It would be great if India wanted to say that but I don’t think it’s an absolute requirement.”
In December last year, PM Modi had said that India is not just on its way to achieve the targets set by the Paris Agreement, but will also far exceed them beyond expectations.
John Kerry also was appreciative of India’s ambitious plan to take its installed renewable energy capacity to 450 GW by 2030. He went on to say that if the goal is achieved, India would be one of the few nations helping “keep 1.5 degrees alive”.
When asked if he was was putting together a consortium to finance India’s renewable energy ambitions, John Kerry said that there are a lot of countries willing to invest in India’s green energy ambitions under the right investment conditions and the US is keen to work very closely with India, focusing on technology and financing.
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