The Indian government’s flagship program to encourage individual and collective action against climate change was launched on Thursday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary-General.
‘Life’ is an acronym for ‘Lifestyle for the Environment’ Mission Life is a long-lasting alternative to turning off your vehicle’s engine at traffic lights, turning off the faucet when not in use, and a single-use alternative. It is designed to encourage individual actions, such as switching. Use a plastic bag. The government estimates that if these measures were implemented nationwide, emissions, water use and waste could be significantly limited.
The program hopes to “mobilize not only the billion Indians, but people from other countries to become individuals practicing sustainable lifestyles,” said a government-backed think tank. One Niti Aayog CEO, Param Iyer, is spearheading the Mission Life program with India’s Federal Environment. and the Ministry of Climate Change.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended the launch of the program in western Gujarat, hoping to “spread around the world” interest in more sustainable living.
Climate experts are aware of the potential benefits of such programs in reducing emissions, but it is still unclear how the project will play out.
“On a personal level, Mission Life is a welcome move both ethically and environmentally,” said Nagraj Adve of Teachers Against the Climate Crisis, a climate advocacy group.
However, to encourage lifestyle change, the program can be complemented by enabling policies such as raising income and wealth taxes, increasing air ticket prices, promoting renewable energy and increasing public transport. I need it,” he added.
“It remains to be seen whether the government will work towards all this.”
Alongside Mission Life, a conference in New Delhi on October 18 focused on energy and how to transition to cleaner options.
For countries to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy like solar power, they need to diversify their component supply chains geographically, officials said at the conference.
According to a recent report by the International Energy Agency, 75% of the components needed for solar power are now manufactured in China. Delegates to the 5th General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance, made up of 110 member states, want to change that.
“By 2030, we expect solar power to be the cheapest source of electricity in most regions,” said ISA Executive Director Ajay Mathur.
In addition to skyrocketing freight prices, Mathur said there is a growing need for “solar products to move from producers to suppliers” in order to enable more countries to benefit from lower solar energy prices. I asked for multiple areas that reach.
Launched by India and France at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, the ISA aims to boost the use of solar energy as countries seek to curb global warming by reducing their use of fossil fuels. . China is also investing more than her $50 billion in new solar supply capacity, ten times her size in Europe and creating more than 300,000 manufacturing jobs, but China is an ally. is not part of
“China’s policies have contributed more than 80 percent cost savings, helping solar power to become the most affordable power generation technology in many parts of the world,” said Heymi Bahar, senior analyst at the International Energy Agency. “But they also lead to imbalances in supply and demand.”
Bahar said the global market is almost entirely dependent on China for solar products, with 15% of the world’s supply coming from just one factory in China, making the world dependent on several centralized supply chains. It has raised concerns that it is doing too much, he added.
Bahar said that in China, where exports have been cut off, “this concentration is already leading to higher prices during the coronavirus pandemic and extreme weather.” “Diversification leads to a more secure supply chain.”
Industry experts say diversified supply chains can create jobs, grow the economy, foster innovation, provide energy security and help countries meet their climate goals. increase.
“Currently, the jobs being created in countries like India are mainly in construction and installation rather than in manufacturing,” said Uluka Kelker, head of India’s climate policy analysis at the World Resources Institute. said. “Diversification is key to maximizing the job creation potential of solar manufacturing.”
India’s federal power minister, RK Singh, told the conference that countries “have a responsibility to enable development in areas of the world that lack access to energy and energy security.”
India’s federal government recently approved $2.6 billion in funding for production-linked incentive schemes to boost the manufacturing of solar modules in the country. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act also encourages domestic manufacturing of photovoltaic components.
According to both the ISA and the International Energy Agency, the solar energy market will need to grow tenfold by the end of the decade if global climate goals are to be met.
The ISA’s plenary session, which runs until Wednesday, also announced programs to boost investment in solar energy in Africa and support start-ups in the solar energy sector.
This story was reported by the Associated Press. AP Reporter Sibi Alas contributed to this report.
