Costs for climate protection: India takes the rich West in the obligation

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So far, September in India has been quiet, meaning: no disaster. If it stays that way, it would be the first month without major natural disaster this year.

In February, the forests burned in the Bandipur National Park in the south, and in May, the cyclone Fani swept across the east coast. During a heat wave in June, temperatures in Rajasthan rose to an unprecedented 50.8 degrees Celsius. The city of Mumbai was hit by the worst flooding in the decade in July. At the same time, the metropolis of Chennai threatened to dry up; People hoped eagerly for the monsoon. When the rain finally came, it fell in torrents. Too much water pelted in too short a time: Already in August, the state of Karnataka was flooded, in the district of Kodagu, the coffee plantations of the country, whole houses disappeared under landslides.

Arun Sankar / AFP

Climate change extreme: drought in June 2019 near the south Indian metropolis Chennai

Such extreme weather events have become more frequent and intense in India, according to the Meteorological Institute of India. And probably there will be more soon.

No state is immune to the effects of climate change, but India is particularly vulnerable. It is still a poor country in large parts. It has long stretched coastal areas and domestic farmers depend on the punctuality of the monsoon season. Storms, rising sea levels, droughts, floods - everything that climate change has to offer will be played out here. And will meet people who can barely protect themselves.

India's energy consumption will double

Few countries will be as affected by climate change as India. At the same time India is one of the few countries that could play a big part in preventing the worst.

Global CO2 emissions rose by 2.1 percent last year - primarily due to coal starvation in China and India. The country is the third largest climate detractor to the US and China, although its per capita emissions are low. It will not stay that way: India is a fast-growing economy. Here live millions of people who will soon be able to afford wealth: a refrigerator, an air conditioning system, a car. Energy consumption in the subcontinent will at least double within the next two decades.

Kumar Singh / AP / DPA

Floods again and again: Hindus pray in the flood of the Ganges

Speaking at the United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York next week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil his International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure - a platform for world states to unite to deliver infrastructures that are more resilient to natural disasters , It is highly unlikely that India will impose new, stricter targets than those enshrined in the Paris Agreement. UN Secretary-General António Guterres would like to urge attendees to "more ambition" at the meeting. But Modi is unlikely to get involved - as a report by the Indian Ministry of Finance suggests, which was released this week.

India is not responsible for global emissions

As a result, India wants to double its economic performance within the next five years. It has to build roads, houses and factories. New commitments to climate protection should not stand in the way of progress, especially as economic growth has recently declined significantly. Instead, the report points to the cost of the necessary adjustments, and recalls the promise of developed countries: they pledged to provide $ 100 billion each year from 2020 for climate protection in poorer countries. And that's what you insist on now.

While India may recognize its responsibility as the world's second most populated country, it does not see it as a fault of its own: despite its size, it was responsible for just five percent of global emissions last year, compared to just three percent the US and the EU are responsible for almost half of all greenhouse gases ever emitted). "Some industrialized countries are trying to shake off even the smallest historical responsibility," says the report.

Indranil Mukherjee / AFP

Week-long drought: children collecting water in Shahapur, southwest of Mumbai

Who reads it, it is clear: India will continue to hold on to coal power. Unless those who have long and abundantly benefited from polluting the air pay to be more climate-neutral in their energies.

This has always been India's negotiating stance, but the country has often been criticized. But this criticism will be less likely to be heard next week, as Premier Modi also has quite a few successes.

More about the climate crisis

OverviewAnswers to the ten most important questions about climate change

• India expanded its electricity generation capacity by 16.3 gigawatts in 2018. 70 percent of this went to renewable energies and about 27 percent to coal. In three years, the power generation capacity from renewable sources is to be increased to 227 gigawatts, which would equal a doubling (even if experts doubt that this goal can be achieved so quickly). Coal currently accounts for 54 percent of the capacity (renewables: 35 percent, others: 9 percent). By 2030, it should fall to 40 percent.
  
  
• The second summit of the International Solar Alliance takes place in New Delhi in October. Together with France, India has pledged $ 2 billion in aid to developing countries.
  
  
• India's energy efficiency has increased significantly in recent years, thanks in part to initiatives such as this: state-owned EESL has sold 300 million LED bulbs, earning a profit of ten million euros and helping to save 30 million tons of greenhouse gases - with no government subsidies.
  
  
• For the first time in the past year, more money was invested in renewable energy in India than in fossil fuels.
  
  
• According to the research consortium Climate Action Tracker, India will achieve its own goals set out in the Paris Climate Agreement - before the deadline expires. The US, China and Germany will probably miss their goals.

India's emissions will continue to rise rapidly - and probably for many years to come. But India is currently a green pioneer, especially when compared to other major economies.