Combating climate change is the flavour of international diplomacy these days. The UK has positioned itself as a global leader in this arena. Ahead of the G7 summit, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis spoke to THE WEEK on walking the green path to international relations.
Q\ The UK recently made new commitments to reduce emissions by 78 per cent by 2035. What is the cornerstone of these new commitments, and how high on achievability are they?
A\ UK Prime Minister [Boris Johnson] has said tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is the government’s number one international priority. Through our presidency of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), we want to see an ambitious, balanced and inclusive agreement between all participating nations at COP26 summit in Glasgow in November—one that aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
In addition to the UK’s global efforts, we are acting to achieve our new 2030 nationally determined contributions (NDC) target of reducing our emissions by 68 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and then, to net zero by 2050. In 2019, the UK became the first major economy to introduce a legally binding commitment to achieve net zero emissions.
Setting short and long-term targets drives action. UK businesses and innovators have embraced the green growth agenda, which makes us confident we can achieve these ambitious goals. The UK has reduced emissions by 44 per cent over the last 30 years while growing our economy by more than 72 per cent, showing that green growth is possible. We have increased our renewable electricity capacity by more than four times since 2010 and we now get more than 50 per cent of our electricity from low carbon sources. We have the biggest offshore wind capacity in the world and it will be four times larger by 2030.
The UK also recognises the need to go further in all sectors. That is why PM Johnson recently launched a plan for a ‘green industrial revolution’ as a pathway to achieve our economic and climate goals. We will transition to clean transport, make our buildings even more efficient, and invest in new technologies to decarbonise polluting sectors like manufacturing, steel and waste.
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Q\ The UK's track record on mitigation has been brought to focus by organisations like Climate Action Tracker, which says UK is on a 3 degree C compliance path, much higher than the Paris Accord aim for keeping it under 2 degrees.
A\ The Climate Tracker assessment refers to past targets. All G7 countries have now committed to be Net Zero by 2050. The UK remains committed to the Paris Agreement and our actions speak for themselves. Our new NDC is the fastest emission reduction committed by any major economy. It implies a 58 per cent reduction in emissions from 2010-2030. This is substantially faster than the average reduction of 45 per cent needed to put the planet on a path to 1.5°C warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The independent Climate Change Committee has acknowledged the new UK NDC target as a decisive step towards net zero and a global pathway to 1.5°C.
Q\ The Climate Transparency Report, too, says UK's fossil fuel reliance is 77 per cent of its energy mix. Which is rather high. Yet, Western nations are pressuring India to cut down on carbon, despite being aware of our developmental needs.
A\ We agree with the International Energy Agency’s recent assessment that there is no future in fossil fuels. The UK is moving rapidly from fossil fuels to a low carbon economy. Britain’s reliance on coal for electricity dropped from 70 per cent in 1990 to less than 3 per cent today, and we will phase out coal for electricity generation entirely by 2025. The government has also announced the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030. We are embracing green growth as the best path to jobs and prosperity.
India has an opportunity to show that a different development path is possible. An opportunity to be at the forefront of a new global green transition with all the benefits of jobs and cleaner air that brings. India has already proved it has the innovation and political will to do this. Our prime ministers have committed through our 2030 UK-India Roadmap to work closely together on the best ways to drive this green growth agenda together.
Q\ The new UK India roadmap lays emphasis on clean energy transition. Does that translate into a transfer of technology to help India leapfrog?
A\ The UK’s partnership with India on clean energy transition includes a range of joint collaboration, research and innovation. This includes areas like renewables integration, efficiency and energy storage, offshore wind, electric mobility and solar technology.
Alongside this, our prime ministers have agreed that, over the coming months, our countries will work together to develop a new joint partnership on forests to protect and restore nature, and explore ways to mainstream biodiversity into economic and financial decision-making.
India has great expertise in developing affordable tech, so a hallmark of our science collaboration is jointly developing cutting edge and affordable solutions. In the last ten years, the UK and India have jointly funded over £400 million in relevant research and innovation partnerships on everything from changing weather patterns, to clean energy and water quality. The UK is already India’s biggest European research partner, and second biggest globally.
Our nations are also working closely on the global Mission Innovation initiative to push out proven, affordable and scalable clean energy solutions. So, it’s not a one-way transfer, it’s about experts on both sides working together to solve global problems.
Q\ Another point in the roadmap is enhancing the ambit of the outcome of COP26. What exactly is the vision for this?
A\ Our prime ministers have agreed to work together to make COP26 a success. This means keeping the world on track to reduce global emissions to net zero by mid-century, to keep a 1.5 °C global warming limit within reach. It also means working together on issues that require global cooperation such as how carbon markets will operate and how finance will flow to developing countries to support climate action.
India is a vital partner in this endeavour, building on its leadership in developing renewable energy, and in launching global coalitions to boost the uptake of solar through the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and ramp up adaptation and resilience through the Coalition on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). The UK is proud to be working closely with India on a range of areas for COP26.
To help deliver India’s vision of One Sun One World One Grid, we plan to
engage leaders to increase technical, financial and research cooperation for building green grid connections between countries. As part of CDRI, we will protect communities and natural habitats through a new facility for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). And, we will work to mobilise finance and de-risk investment in clean and resilient technologies, including through the India-UK partnership on climate finance.
Q\ It's regularly said these days that no progress on climate change mitigation can be done without the involvement of India. Yet, while there is an expectation for India to elevate its ambition, there isn't a corresponding flow of technology to aid this goal.
A\ If the current pandemic has taught us anything, it is that global challenges require global collaboration and there is no bigger challenge for the world than climate change.
Over the next 20 years, India will account for more demand growth in energy than any other country. Solar power in India is already some of the cheapest in the world. India quadrupled its wind and solar capacity in the last decade and has set out an impressive action agenda for the next 10 years, with PM Modi announcing 450GW in renewables by 2030. We are glad to be working with India to deliver this target.
The UK’s foreign policy review already makes clear how crucial our relationship with India is to help address all the issues we care most about: protecting against climate change, tackling COVID-19, and building back our economies. We have shared interests and together we are tackling shared threats.
