On December 12, 2020, the virtual Climate Ambition Summit 2020 was held to provide a platform for government and non-governmental leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the Paris Agreement and the multilateral process. It was co-hosted by the United Kingdom (UK), the United Nations (UN) and France, in partnership with Chile and Italy.
- The date also marked the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement.
- This summit also regarded as a “sprint to Glasgow” as the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is scheduled to take place from 1–12 November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland,UK. It will be hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy.
- From India, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi addressed the summit.
Aim of Summit: A call for much greater climate action and ambition
Main topics of discussions:
- New, more ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs);
- Long-term net-zero emissions strategies;
- Climate finance commitments to support the most vulnerable; and
- Ambitious adaptation plans and policies.
Key Points from PM’s Address:
–India is exceeding its Paris Agreement targets as emission intensity is reduced by 21% over 2005 levels, solar capacity has grown from 2.63 GigaWatts (GW) in 2014 to 36 GW in 2020.
–India’s renewable energy capacity is the fourth largest in the world and will reach 175 GW before 2022. Now, the target is to achieve 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
–India also succeeded in expanding our forest cover and safeguarding our biodiversity.
–India is leading two major initiatives viz. International Solar Alliance (ISA) & Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
Recent Related News:
i.On November 16, 2020, the UK (United Kingdom) Government announced SSE, ScottishPower, NatWest Group and National Grid as the first Principal Partners for the 2021 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference also known as COP26.
ii.On November 4, 2020, The First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) also known as the Disarmament and International Security Committee under the chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Agustin Santos Maraver(Spain)(Chair of 1st committee of 75th UNGA) adopted two India-sponsored resolutions on Nuclear Disarmament they are, ‘Convention on Prohibition of Use of Nuclear Weapons’ & ‘Reducing Nuclear Danger’ under ‘Nuclear Weapons’ cluster.
About United Nations (UN):
Secretary General– Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres
Headquarters– New York, United States (US)
About United Kingdom (UK):
Capital– London
Currency– Pound sterling
Prime Minister– Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson
