New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement to increase renewable energy targets, reduce carbon intensity and reach net-zero emission by 2070 are in the right direction, but there is a need to stop new fossil fuel projects and phase them out from the industry in a time-bound manner, Greenpeace India said on Tuesday.

Reacting to Modi's COP 26 speech at Glasgow, Greenpeace India said clearance to new fossil fuel projects and diluting environmental laws will not help India's climate objective.

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“The next 10 years are going to be crucial in achieving the climate target. The action plan must start reducing emissions at the sources as fast and as much as possible. To limit the global temperature to 1.5-degree Celsius, we must stop new fossil fuel projects now and phase out from the industry in a time-bound manner,” it said in a statement.

The organisation said India needs systemic as well as behavioural changes to tackle climate crisis that prioritises real need-based consumption, and is not driven by big industries.

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“Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement to increase renewable energy targets, reduce carbon intensity and net-zero emission by 2070 are in general the right direction of travel. However, there are other important considerations, we need rigour, good practice and equity in achieving 50 per cent of the total energy requirement of the country from renewable sources by 2030,” it said.

The organisation said with substantial technological development in renewable energy, investment in coal is neither good for the planet or the economy.

“India has an opportunity to play a leadership role in the sector while generating employment. India should actively strive for an earlier date of zero-emissions after reassessing the situation in the coming years. The plan needs to also ensure that the net-zero target is not abused and used for greenwashing tactics and there should be clarity on the date for fossil fuel peak,” said Avinash Chanchal, senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace India.

He said a major concern is the nature of business on the ground.

“Clearance to new fossil fuel projects and diluting the environmental laws will not help India's climate objective. Agriculture is an important sector of the country and the unpredictable weather has increased hardship on the small farmers, manifold.

“At the same time unsustainable farming practices can contribute further to climate change and this needs to stop soon for the planet and the health of the people,” he said.

At the ongoing COP 26 in Glasgow, UK, PM Modi had on Monday announced “enhanced” targets for India to combat climate change like the country will increase its non-fossil fuel energy capacity to 500 giga watt (GW) by 2030, meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements from renewable sources by 2030, reduce its total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now till 2030, among others.

Greenpeace India said developed countries need to fulfil their climate commitment and increase the promised USD 100 billion climate finance to low-income countries that have been bearing the brunt of the climate crisis.

“The vulnerable communities are already losing homes and livelihoods to increasing extreme weather events. The pandemic, while being a crisis, provided an opportunity for global leaders to come together to show the world the nature of handling 'crises', but that was not to be.

“Despite the emergency, we did not have equitable access to vaccines across the world. We cannot afford to commit the same mistake with climate change, the world leaders need to look into the eyes of the youth while making their decisions,” it said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)