India Announcing Net-Zero Target Not "Absolute Requirement": US Climate Envoy

John Kerry emphasised that it is critical to take "real action between now and 2030" and nations need to raise their ambitions to meet the goal set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry on Thursday said it will be great if India announces a net-zero emission target for 2050, but "that's not an absolute requirement". He said with the implementation of India's plan of 450 gigawatts of renewables by 2030, it will be one of the few nations helping "keep 1.5 degrees alive" (limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels). Net-zero means balancing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the environment by removing an equivalent volume. This may be achieved through various means, including restoring forests or through direct air capture and storage (DACS) technology, according to the World Resources Institute. Mr Kerry emphasised that it is critical to take "real action between now and 2030" and nations need to raise their ambitions to meet the goal set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.