UK envoy Ellis stresses urgent climate action ahead of COP28 Summit
Nov 22, 2023
New Delhi [India], November 22 : As the world anticipates the upcoming COP28 Summit, British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, emphasised the pressing need to tackle climate change for the benefit of nations.
"The COP28 Summit needs to do three things. First of all, we need to keep the gross temperature down, as it's going to affect India a lot and is affecting India a lot," said Ellis.
He underscored the significance of global cooperation to mitigate the impact of rising temperatures, particularly in a country like India.
Highlighting the second imperative, Ellis pointed out the importance of assisting countries, including India, in enhancing their resilience and adaptability to the evolving challenges posed by climate change.
The British High Commissioner drew attention to the visible effects of climate change in India, citing examples such as increased tomato prices and recurring floods.
"Secondly, we need to help countries, including India, deal with its resilience and adaptability to what's going on with climate change, as we can see its effects already in India, whether it's increased tomato prices or floods and so forth," he said.
"Thirdly, it needs to try to reverse the loss of biodiversity. UK and India do that together. We're partners all the way," continued Ellis, emphasising the collaborative efforts required to address the critical issue of biodiversity loss. He expressed the commitment of the UK and India to work jointly in this endeavour.
Meanwhile, India has achieved some of its climate targets, including: India reduced its emissions intensity by 33-35 per cent between 2005 and 2030; increased the use of clean and renewable energy by 40 per cent and increased carbon sinks by creating an additional capacity equivalent to 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO2.
India is one of the G20 countries that is on track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to 1.5-2°C above pre-industrial levels.
India is not only meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change but is also exceeding them.
Moreover, India has also committed to producing at least 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by the end of 2022 and reaching 500 GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.
Ellis also alluded to the ongoing celebration of a notable Indian company, showcasing the collaborative initiatives between the UK and India in various sectors.
"The UK and India do that together. We're partners all the way, including what we're doing at the moment, which is celebrating one of the great Indian companies," he also said.
Notably, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP28, will be the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference, held from November 30 until December 12, 2023, at the Expo City, Dubai.
