India key partner in fight against Climate Change: EU climate chief – EQ Mag
As international locations start making ready for a crucial yr for local weather motion, the European Union sees India as an necessary associate for enterprise measures to deal with local weather change and decelerate international warming, Frans Timmermans, man accountable for European Green Deal, has mentioned.
There was a “actual change” within the relationship between the European Union and India, a relationship that “typically was fairly bumpy, typically it went properly, typically it was a bit extra quiet”, mentioned Timmermans, government vice chairman of the European Commission.
The problem local weather change presents is among the many components that he attributes for the change within the relationship. “However then final couple of years, the realisation that we’re each confronted with an existential problem, which is the local weather disaster, has introduced us nearer collectively,” he mentioned.
Consultants mentioned there are geopolitical components such because the significance of the Indo-Pacific area which have contributed to a more in-depth EU-India relationship.
“We’ve got a blind spot for India; we ought to be way more targeting India’s huge potential and the truth that India can be spreading its wings internationally and eager to play a task internationally,” Timmermans mentioned. “We have to interact with India greater than we did earlier than. I feel it is to the advantage of the European Union and to the advantage of India, if we search for these types of stronger cooperation.”
The Dutch politician is accountable for European Inexperienced Deal, a package deal of coverage initiatives to facilitate the EU’s transition and transformation to a web zero economic system.
Local weather change offers the EU and India with immense potentialities of engagement and an energised partnership, he mentioned, referring to his interactions and engagements with “a complete host of Indian ministers”.
“With none reservation, I may say they have been very constructive and (expressed) willingness to have interaction…(and) work collectively when it comes to creating joint tasks, facilitating investments, facilitating the chance to have know-how transfers,” he mentioned. “So, I am hopeful that we are able to construct on that within the subsequent years.”
The partnership with India, Timmermans mentioned, may even be engagement in different international locations resembling in Africa. He identified that India’s engagement in African international locations is “perceived as much less intrusive” in comparison with China. “So that provides us additionally a chance to work carefully collectively.”
Timmermans met with energy and renewable vitality minister RK Singh on the sidelines of the just-concluded Irena (Worldwide Renewable Vitality Company) meeting in Abu Dhabi. Singh was officiating as president of the thirteenth Irena Assembly after India took over the presidency from El Salvador.
In keeping with a European Fee official, Timmermans and Singh mentioned EU-India vitality cooperation, particularly on hydrogen, in addition to cooperation on vitality entry in Africa based mostly on greatest practices developed in India.
The altering India-EU relationship that Timmermans refers to was demonstrable eventually yr’s annual UN local weather talks (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh. COP27 noticed the emergence of an India-EU alliance, with the European Union and its member states stepping as much as assist India’s name for a phase-down of all fossil fuels, and never simply coal as agreed to the yr earlier than in Glasgow. The EU was among the many first to publicly assist, with some qualifiers, the demand put ahead by India. The “phase-down of fossil fuels” was not a part of the ultimate final result doc at Sharm El-Sheikh, although, and it’s prone to be on the checklist at this yr’s local weather negotiations in Dubai.
Timmermans didn’t rule out a planned-out effort with India this yr. As in Sharm El-Sheikh, he mentioned the EU would assist the demand for fossil gasoline phase-down “so long as we’re clear that this isn’t strolling again from the dedication to section down coal”. “So, it is to not decelerate the section out of coal however to reinforce the section out of fossil fuels.”
Taking ahead the India-EU alliance on the express inclusion of “fossil gasoline phase-down” is, in response to Timmermans, “one thing we have to focus on”.
Source: PTI
