India’s climate goal is likely to be sector and region specific rather than prescribing a target for the country as a whole.

The much-awaited Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) expected to be announced on October 1, will project the financial requirements, needs for technology transfer, and capacity building for implementation of action on adaptation and mitigation, as well as funding commitments made by developed nations, a government official told BusinessLine .

After much deliberation within ministries, the government seems to have reached a consensus on its INDCs for the UN-sponsored climate conference (COP-21) in Paris in December. INDCs are the actions that individual governments intend to take as part of the climate deal that is expected to be sealed at COP-21.

An Environment Ministry official said, “The INDCs are likely to include the strategies and initiatives in the agriculture sector, water sector, health sector, programmes and policies for the coastal regions and islands for disaster management and for protecting bio-diversity and the Himalayan ecosystem as well as for ensuring rural livelihood security.”

Under pressure India has been under pressure to set a target as both the US and China have set ambitious targets to reduce emissions. As many as 190 countries are working towards a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping a check on global warming.

New Delhi’s INDCs would focus on the fact that vulnerabilities in India differ among States, regions and different groups of people within the same region due to substantial variations in topography, climatic conditions, ecosystems and diversity in its social structures, economic conditions and needs of different communities.

India intends to fight for its right to take on low commitments on mitigation — which refers to action taken to permanently eliminate or reduce the long-term risk and hazards of climate change — as the onus of reducing the risks is largely on developed countries that were mostly responsible for climate change over the last 150 years.

Must take responsibility “The developed countries have to take responsibility for the harm done to the environment in the past,” said Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, recently after attending a meeting of the like-minded developing countries grouping earlier this month.

As part of the INDC, India also proposes to hold developed countries to their promise of financial support in helping developing countries to switch over to greener technologies. Developed countries have now said that they will come up with details of how they intended to meet a 2009 promise to deliver $100 billion a year of climate funds to poor countries, to the UN on October 9. Many, including New Delhi, feel that it may not be enough.

Javadekar had also said that INDCs should not be criticised (for being low on ambition and commitments) and countries should not enter into a blame-game, if the Paris meet is to succeed in producing a climate pact.

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