Antinuclear

India’s PM Modi announces support for climate action, and solar energy goal

“We very much support India’s ambitious goal for solar energy and stand ready to speed this advancement with additional financing,” Obama said during the news conference at Hyderabad House.

Modi Shifts on Climate Change With India Renewables Goal, Bloomberg  By Reed Landberg and Natalie Obiko Pearson  Jan 26, 2015    Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is ready to expand its use of renewable energy as a way to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, a signal that his government is moving toward joining an international deal on global warming.

After a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in New Delhi, the prime minister said that his nation along with all others has an obligation to act on reducing the fossil-fuel emissions blamed for damaging the climate.

The remarks represent a shift in India’s tone on global warming………….

Environmental groups led by the World Resources Institute in Washington said Modi appeared to be moving toward a nationwide goal on renewables, expanding its current program of reaching 100 gigawatts of solar energy by 2022.

“This announcement builds on the recent progress on climate made between the U.S. and China,” said Manish Bapna, executive vice president of the World Resources Institute. “In setting a national renewable energy target, India will boost its economy and bring more and cleaner electricity to its people.”

Phased Out

Obama said he and Modi agreed to keep working on a phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons, a class of refrigerants that have been discovered to be potent greenhouse-gas chemicals in the atmosphere.

More importantly, he said the two established a channel for them to talk about climate before the Paris summit and that the U.S. will provide financial support for India’s solar program.

“We very much support India’s ambitious goal for solar energy and stand ready to speed this advancement with additional financing,” Obama said during the news conference at Hyderabad House. “We’re also launching new joint projects to improve air quality in Indian cities.”

Modi said he asked Obama to lead a effort to make renewable energy more accessible and affordable worldwide.

“For President Obama and me, clean and renewable energy is a personal and national priority,” Modi said at a press conference in New Delhi. “We discussed our ambitious national efforts and goals to increase the use of clean and renewable energy.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Reed Landberg in London at landberg@bloomberg.net; Natalie Obiko Pearson in New Delhi at npearson7@bloomberg.net   http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-25/modi-shifts-on-climate-change-with-india-renewables-goal.html

January 26, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized