Issues

Issues India’s engagement in global environmental governance has been remarkable. From the Stockholm Conference to the COP21 in , New Delhi possesses impressive credentials in terms of the diplomatic and administrative capital invested. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s speech at the Stockholm Conference evoked a new sense of politico- environmental consciousness which held the developed countries, i.e. North, responsible for escalating the ecological threat indicators. The ideological undercurrents of the Indian environmental policies, particularly the climate change, can be traced back to the preparations for the Rio Earth Summit wherein an important report titled “Global Warming in an Unequal World” of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) which attacked the West for its ginormous contribution to the global carbon footprint as “carbon colonialism”. India has invariably rejected GHG reduction commitments from the developing countries as inequitable provided that the “South” has played a little role in triggering the so-called “climate issues” of the present day magnitude. In anticipation of this moment, countries publicly outlined what post- climate actions they intended to take under the new international agreement, known as their Intended Nationally Determined contributions. In its INDC, India has pledged to improve the emissions intensity of its GDP by to per cent by below levels. It has also pledged to increase the share of non- fossil fuels-based electricity to per cent by . It has agreed to enhance its forest cover which will absorb . to billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO , the main gas responsible for global warming) by INDCs. India has also reiterated its need for international finance and technology support to meet its climate goals. In this regard, it has said it would require at least US $ . trillion (at - prices) to meet its climate change actions between now and . India’s Commitment to Paris Deal Domestically, measures are taken at the constitutional and statutory levels to address environmental concerns. Some of the important legal documents dealing with environment in the country are: Environment Protection Act ( ), Wildlife Protection Act ( ), (Air Prevention and Control of Pollution Act) ( ), Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act ( ), Indian Forest Act ( ) and so forth. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the nodal agency responsible for environmental policy formulation and implementation in the country. The judiciary also plays an unparalleling role through the instrument of judicial activism on environmental matters. National Green Tribunal, established in , deals with the expeditious disposal of cases of environmental importance.