WE NEED TO FIX THE MISTAKES WE HAVE MADE. EVERY NATION MUST RAISE ITS AMBITION TO DEAL WITH THE CLIMATE CRISIS

Among the first things the Joe Biden administration did when it took charge this January was to rejoin the 2015 Paris Agreement, which his predecessor Donald Trump exited in June 2017, barely six months into his term as US president. President Biden is holding a climate summit on April 22 in which he hopes to get the heads of state of key emitting nations, including India, to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate JOHN KERRY was in India last week and spoke exclusively to Group Editorial Director (Publishing) RAJ CHENGAPPA on the outcome. Excerpts:

- RAJ CHENGAPPA

Q You met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several key cabinet ministers and discussed your mission to get all nations to cut their carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. How important is India’s role in this?

A. India’s role is crucial. First of all, India is a leading democracy together with the United States; a huge nation, but also known for its humanistic values, for its connection to earth and to responsibility. India can contribute very significantly because as a nation it is the third-largest emitter—we’re the second largest, China the first. So, we have a special responsibility. Between the three of us, we have over 50 per cent of the world’s emissions. So even though India’s [emissions] are smaller, by half, than ours, we all have to do this because no one nation can solve the problem. Every nation has to be part of the solution. We’re dependent on one another.

More importantly, India is a nation of innovation, entrepreneurial activity, research and development and so forth. We believe in a partnership between the United States and India to accelerate the discovery of new technologies that we will need to deal with the climate crisis, to try to bring finance and help do things that will accelerate Prime Minister Modi’s very aggressive and important commitment of 450 gigawatts of power over the next 10 years from renewables…that’s what we need to do.

Q. What was Prime Minister Modi’s response when you put forward the proposal for net zero?