PTIIndia's lofty infrastructure goals will make it difficult for it to achieve a net-zero emissions scenario, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a special report released on Tuesday.
Noting that three heavy industries — steel, cement, and chemicals account for 70% of all carbon dioxide emissions, the IEA said that developing economies tend to build up stocks of goods and infrastructure to account for the rising demand.
"Some countries such as India see higher growth in steel and cement production, while production in China declines considerably following its industrial boom period after the turn of the millennium," the report titled 'Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector' said.
The key takeaway from the 223-page report was that the entire world needs to avoid new fossil fuel projects to achieve carbon neutrality in the coming decades, which is the stated target for many of the world's developed countries, including USA (2050), the European Union (2050), China (2060), England (2050).
As of now, India does not have any such targets to achieve a carbon-neutral future, in which all new emissions would be offset by green measures such as reforestation and a higher usage of renewable sources in the country's overall energy mix. In fact, the government inaugurated a new oil field in Tamil Nadu as recently as February this year. New coal mines were also opened just last year.
In his visit to New Delhi last month, US climate envoy John Kerry pushed the Centre to lay down a net-zero plan to offset carbon emissions. However, India is well on track to exceed its Paris Agreement commitments, in which it had promised to reduce carbon emissions by 33 to 35% as intensity of the GDP from 2005 levels.
Both PM Narendra Modi and Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar have previously spoken about 'climate justice', and how any such environmental targets need to be taken in a historical context of developed countries already having used natural resources for their own benefit, but continue to pressure developing countries to reduce their emissions.
Noting that three heavy industries — steel, cement, and chemicals account for 70% of all carbon dioxide emissions, the IEA said that developing economies tend to build up stocks of goods and infrastructure to account for the rising demand.
"Some countries such as India see higher growth in steel and cement production, while production in China declines considerably following its industrial boom period after the turn of the millennium," the report titled 'Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector' said.
The key takeaway from the 223-page report was that the entire world needs to avoid new fossil fuel projects to achieve carbon neutrality in the coming decades, which is the stated target for many of the world's developed countries, including USA (2050), the European Union (2050), China (2060), England (2050).
As of now, India does not have any such targets to achieve a carbon-neutral future, in which all new emissions would be offset by green measures such as reforestation and a higher usage of renewable sources in the country's overall energy mix. In fact, the government inaugurated a new oil field in Tamil Nadu as recently as February this year. New coal mines were also opened just last year.
In his visit to New Delhi last month, US climate envoy John Kerry pushed the Centre to lay down a net-zero plan to offset carbon emissions. However, India is well on track to exceed its Paris Agreement commitments, in which it had promised to reduce carbon emissions by 33 to 35% as intensity of the GDP from 2005 levels.
Both PM Narendra Modi and Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar have previously spoken about 'climate justice', and how any such environmental targets need to be taken in a historical context of developed countries already having used natural resources for their own benefit, but continue to pressure developing countries to reduce their emissions.
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