Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Italy, UK for G-20 Summit, COP-26 from Oct 29

The prime minister will be traveling to Rome and Glasgow from October 29 to November 2 to attend the 16th G-20 Summit and the World Leaders’ Summit of COP-26 respectively, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visit to Italy, UK for G-20 Summit and COP-26 is crucial from various perspectives

The G-20 is a leading global forum that brings together the world’s major economies. Its members account for more than 80 percent of the global GDP, 75 percent of global trade and 60 percent of the population of the planet. The forum has met every year since 1999 and includes, since 2008, a yearly summit, with the participation of the respective heads of state and government.

The MEA said India is scheduled to host the G-20 summit in 2023 for the first time. The G-20 leaders are expected to deliberate on a number of key challenges such as recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, addressing climate change and overcoming poverty and inequality in various parts of the world.

From Rome, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi will travel to Glasgow to attend the World Leader’s summit of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP-26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the MEA said.

The prime minister is attending the climate summit at the invitation of his British counterpart Boris Johnson. The COP-26 is being held from October 31 to November 12 under the presidency of the UK which is partnering with Italy for the event.

The MEA said the high-level segment of COP-26, titled the World Leaders’ Summit (WLS), will be held on November 1 to 2. The summit will be attended by heads of state and government of more than 120 countries.

“The UNFCCC embodies the global will and vision to combat climate change. The periodic Conference of Parties to this Convention have emerged as global climate summits, providing an opportunity for stocktaking and for charting the way forward,” the MEA said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to pitch for a united global approach in dealing with the situation in Afghanistan and combating challenges of climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.

All these topics are of paramount importance concerning the existence of the civilized world and its future.

Combating challenges of climate change:

During his visits – G-20 Summit, the World Leader’s summit of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP-26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Hon’ble Prime Minister will raise the issue of climate change. Climate change is already happening: temperatures are rising, drought and wildfires are starting to occur more frequently, rainfall patterns are shifting, glaciers and snow are melting and the global mean sea level is rising.

Climate change is the defining crisis of our time and it is happening even more quickly than we feared. But we are far from powerless in the face of this global threat. To mitigate climate change, we must reduce or prevent the emissions linked to human activities.

While interest is piqued, India is tempering expectations. India is “walking the talk” on climate change. India is one of the few countries on track to meet its Paris target, achieving 21% of its pledge to reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 33-35% by 2030. India’s stance has been that India did not cause climate change and looks to developed countries to do more.

Taking a closer look, India is on track to achieve two of the three components of its Paris target. First, India has already reduced emissions intensity by 21% given its target to reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 33-35% by 2030. Second, with 38% of non-fossil fuel capacity (includes renewables, large hydro and nuclear), India is just 2% short of its 2030 target of 40% of installed non-fossil fuel electricity capacity.  But on the third component, to achieve 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in forest cover by 2030, much more work is needed.

On the domestic front, India aims to install an ambitious 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030. India already has 90 GW or renewable energy, representing 24% of total installed capacity. In addition, India has some of the lowest solar tariffs globally, dropping to ₹2.36 ($0.0316)/kWh and thermal capacity has declined from 70% in 2015 to 61% in 2020. The India Cooling Action Plan at the national level and progress on building efficient buildings and cool roofs at the state level are also driving efforts to save energy and reduce heat trapping hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The government’s FAME-II scheme provides ₹10,000 crore ($1.4 billion) is moving forward with electric vehicles.

On the international front, India is leading efforts with the International Solar Alliance (ISA), Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and Leadership Group for Industry Transition. India recently created an Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement (AIPA). The aim of AIPA is to increase coordination among 14 key ministries and to engage business, stakeholders and the U.N. on delivery of the Paris Agreement.

Why Taliban is a major issue for the world?

After 20 years of war, the Taliban has swept to victory in Afghanistan. The group completed their shockingly rapid advance across the country by capturing Kabul on 15 August. It came after foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan following a deal between the US and the Taliban, two decades after US forces removed the militants from power in 2001. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.

Taliban forces have pledged not to allow Afghanistan to become a base for terrorists who could threaten the West. But questions are already being asked about how the group will govern the country, and what their rule means for women, human rights, and political freedoms.

The rejuvenescence of the Taliban in Afghanistan will work as a stimulant for the restoration and provocation of communal forces internationally. Therefore, it is imperative for the incumbent democratic governments across the globe to come together and subjugate and crush such atrocious communal forces not only in Afghanistan but also globally.