India undertaking arduous effort to fight climate change: environment minister

The minister said the country embarked on far-reaching new initiatives in renewable energy, e-mobility, ethanol blended fuels, and green hydrogen as an alternate energy source.

India is undertaking an arduous effort to fight climate change despite accounting for less than 4 per cent of the world's cumulative emissions so far, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday.

Delivering the national statement at the UN climate summit in Egypt, Yadav said India responded to the call for increased ambition in the 2030 climate targets and updated its Nationally Determined Contributions in August.

''India, home to 1.3 billion people, is undertaking this arduous effort despite the reality that our contribution to the world's cumulative emissions so far is less than 4 per cent and our annual per capita emissions are about one-third of the global average,'' he said. The minister said the country embarked on far-reaching new initiatives in renewable energy, e-mobility, ethanol blended fuels, and green hydrogen as an alternate energy source. The country seeks to foster strong international cooperation through action and solutions-oriented coalitions like International Solar Alliance and the Coalition of Disaster Resilience Infrastructure, both of which were launched and nurtured by India, Yadav said.

''This is a testimony to our ethos of collective action for global good,'' he said.