Developing countries continue to lead from the front on climate change actions, despite not bearing historical responsibility for causing climate change.
This is according to a Ministerial Joint Statement from the Ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India and China representing the BASIC Group at the at the 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 26) in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
“Ministers highlighted that the BASIC and other developing countries have made the first move, coming forward with high ambition, despite not bearing historical responsibility for causing climate change. They now expect developed countries to show leadership and respond with a matching progression of effort,” the Ministerial Joint Statement said on Wednesday.
The Minister of the Environment of Brazil reassured the country’s full commitment to being part of the global response to tackle climate change by supporting the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use.
“Brazil also announced new climate goals: (i) 50% of emissions reductions by 2030; (ii) zero illegal deforestation by 2028; (iii) restore and reforest 18 million hectares of forests by 2030; and (iv) achieve, in 2030, the participation of 45% to 50% of renewable energies in the composition of the energy matrix,” the statement said.
South Africa had submitted an updated and significantly more ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement ahead of COP26.
“The updated NDC brings forward the peaking of South Africa´s emissions by a decade and contains detailed information on adaptation, and the enabling means of implementation support required from the international community.
“The NDC presents a target emission range from 398 – 614 MtCO2e in 2025 and 350 – 420 MtCO2e in 2030. From the upper end of the range of the first NDC, this represents a 17% reduction for 2025 and a 32% reduction for 2030,” the statement said.
South Africa has progressed from an original target against Business as Usual, to a fixed target emission range.
The lower end of the 2030 updated target emission range is consistent with a 1.5-degree pathway, while the upper end of the range is consistent with a 2-degree pathway.
“While India is amongst the few countries whose NDCs are already compliant with the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, announced further enhancements to India’s Climate ambitions at the World Leaders’ Summit at COP 26 in Glasgow. He called for a global mass movement for environmentally sustainable lifestyles and consumption,” the statement said.
India announced five new and updated targets including (i) increasing non-fossil fuel installed electricity capacity to 500 Gigawatts by 2030; (ii) achieving 50% of cumulative electric power installed capacity from renewable energy by 2030; (iii) reducing total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tons of between now and 2030; (iv) reducing emissions intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030; and (v) achieving net zero emissions by 2070.
China aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
For 2030, China will lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by over 65% from the 2005 level and increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 25%.
In addition, China will increase the forest stock volume by 6 billion cubic meters from the 2005 level, and bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1.2 billion kilowatts.
China emphasised the importance of upholding multilateral consensus, focus on concrete actions and accelerate the green transition.
China is formulating and successively releasing the “1+N” policy framework for delivering carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Moreover, China will strictly control coal-fired power generation projects and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad.
Source: South African Government News Agency