The force first received reports of the item at about 1.10pm, and as a precaution the station and many of the surrounding buildings were evacuated and closed…reports Asian Lite News
Three men have been arrested and a controlled explosion was carried out after a bus station was closed for several hours after reports of a “potential suspicious item” found in the area. Police Scotland said at about 9.40pm on Wednesday that nothing suspicious was found, despite the controlled explosion at Buchanan bus station.
The force first received reports of the item at about 1.10pm, and as a precaution the station and many of the surrounding buildings were evacuated and closed. Police said that three men had been arrested in connection with possession of offensive weapons and inquiries remain ongoing.
A spokesperson said: “Around 1.10pm this afternoon, police received a report of a potential suspicious item at the bus station. “Officers contacted the EOD and a controlled explosion was carried out. Nothing suspicious was found.
“As a precaution the bus station and surrounding buildings were evacuated.” “Three men were arrested in connection with possession of offensive weapons and inquiries are ongoing. Officers are working to return the area back to normal.”
Large cordons were put in place with streets around the bus station closed. Police advised the public to avoid the area.
A number of transport services also experienced disruption as a result of the incident, including Stagecoach’s X77 service, as well as all of ScotRail’s Queen Street high street level services. The city’s subway service was also closed down, but later re-opened at around 9pm.
Glasgow Caledonian university (GCU) was evacuated and closed as a precaution on Wednesday evening. But in an email later sent to all staff and students at about 10.50pm, the university said: “We are pleased to inform you the police have advised that our Glasgow campus is now safe to reopen, and it will be fully operational from 7am.”
A number of businesses in the area have also been affected. The Royal Concert Hall’s planned An Audience With Celtic Legends event was cancelled. At about 10.10pm, Glasgow city council’s Traffcom service said Killermont Street between West Nile Street and North Hanover Street is closed, as is Cowcaddens Road. All of the roads surround the bus station at their points of closure. The service said drivers should follow police guidance for diversions.
A spokesperson for Traffcom added: “Due to an ongoing police incident, Buchanan bus station has been closed. Police Scotland are in attendance.”
Experts believe India’s domestic target of 500GW of renewable energy by 2030 would be more than sufficient to meet the country’s growing electricity needs, reports Vishal Gulati
India surprised the world at the just concluded two-week 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) with the UK as President in Glasgow by announcing the most ambitious targets by a developing nation to combat climate change.
They included installing non-fossil fuel electricity capacity of 500 GW by 2030; sourcing 50 per cent of energy requirement from renewables by 2030; reducing 1 billion tonnes of projected emissions from now till 2030; achieving carbon intensity reduction of 45 per cent over 2005 levels by 2030; and achieving net zero by 2070.
But as the climate negotiations of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) were over and the gap to 1.5 degrees Celsius narrowed with the adoption of the Glasgow Climate Pact by 197 countries, India was blamed for the last-minute insistence on changing the complete “phase out” of coal to “phase down”.
Now the question is: What does the future of coal look like for India?
India alone is home to seven per cent (21GW) of the global coal project pipeline, which is 56 per cent of South Asia’s total, with the country moving slowly away from coal at a national level. Besides, considerable progress is being made at the state level, says a new report by think tank E3G.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UXTNXZUUFg
However, experts believe India’s domestic target of 500GW of renewable energy by 2030 would be more than sufficient to meet the country’s growing electricity needs.
An analysis by Ember and Climate Risk Horizons in the run-up to COP26 estimates that even if India’s electricity demand grows at five per cent per year, India’s existing coal capacity along with 450GW of renewable capacity would be sufficient to meet the 2030 demands.
It says 27 GW of pre-permit and permitted new coal power plant proposals are now superfluous to requirements and will likely end up as “zombie” plants — assets that will be neither dead nor alive.
These surplus plants, if built, will suck in scarce resources and impede India’s renewable energy ambitions. But they can be cancelled without needing to sacrifice the power system’s ability to meet future demand.
An analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) also shows a similar picture.
However, the country’s target for 500 GW of renewable power capacity by 2030 (up from 100 GW currently) effectively limits the demand for new coal-fired capacity, and could already be sufficient to cover incremental electricity demand without increasing generation from coal between 2021 and 2030.
The two largest coal consumers, China and India, have pledged carbon neutrality targets at COP26, but have refrained from any pledges on their domestic coal power sectors.
In China, the carbon neutrality pledge leaves space for existing coal power plants to operate for several decades, but reaching carbon neutrality by 2060 means an almost complete phase-out of coal power plants not equipped with carbon capture.
Explaining that India’s coal generation could peak in 2026-27 if India seriously implements the renewable energy targets announced at COP26, CREA senior analyst Sunil Dahiya said: “Thereafter we will see a marked decline in coal power generation in India. In terms of capacity, we don’t see any need for India to increase capacity because existing coal power plants are underutilised.”
The term “phase-down” literally means coal capacity now may need to be reduced, explains Vibhuti Garg, Energy Economist, Lead India, at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
“Coal phase-out cannot happen overnight. It’ll take time. And phase-down is part of an eventual phase-out. India’s net zero by 2070 already implies that coal will need to be phased-out sooner or later. If developed countries provided finance and technology, this transition could be faster but without that India is already doing much more than its fair share. If India commits to a certain climate target, India will try to more than achieve it. The developed countries that promised finance in 2009 have breached the trust and we are yet to see it fulfilled. India committed 40 per cent non-fossil commitment in 2015 and we’re on track to deliver on that,” an optimistic Vibhuti added.
Saying India’s developmental and climate change challenges cannot be reduced to a single number on coal or net-zero, Ulka Kelkar, Director, Climate Program, WRI India, said: “Renewable energy is fast becoming cost competitive. The success of the renewable energy transition over the next decade will determine the pace of the coal phase-down, which will need to be carefully planned.”
Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trends, said, “Instead of getting locked up in legal speak and diplomatic quagmire, the better thing would be to understand the implications of rapid scaling up of renewable energy in a country like India. Whether the language is to phase-down or phase-out, there is no room to add any additional coal and many states have demonstrated this by announcing no new coal in the last few years. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh have made such statements. The domestic imperatives to act will ultimately far outweigh the tired pace of the climate negotiations if real action has to happen.”
The report by E3G, which assessed the global pipeline of new coal projects, finds India is moving slowly away from coal at a national level, and considerable progress is being made at the state level.
Between 2019 and 2021, officials from the states of Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Karnataka announced their intention to not build new coal power plants.
According to a 2019 study, many more states have the potential to move away from new coal power due to a combination of socio-economic and environmental factors, particularly the rapidly increasing cost competitiveness of new renewables.
Disappointing closure of @COP26 as for the single resistance and opposition of India to phase out coal and eliminate subsidies to fossil fuels. Sad. But the Paris Agreement and its process is stronger than deniers and resisters and will soon overcome them!!! pic.twitter.com/WuMitERYB3
India’s pre-construction pipeline of 21GW is the second largest in the world.
India is currently constructing 34GW of new coal capacity. This is on top of India’s considerable existing operating fleet of 233GW (11.3 per cent of the global total).
Yet since 2015, India has seen over 326GW of projects cancelled, including more than 250GW of shelved capacity. This means almost 7GW has been scrapped for every 1GW that has gone into operation.
Meanwhile, renewable tariffs in India are some of the lowest in the world, reaching a record low of Rs 1.99/kWh ($ 0.026/kWh) in December 2020.
The draft includes language acknowledging the world should be aiming to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, reports Vishal Gulati
After 10 days of hectic parleys, the UK presidency of COP26 on Wednesday released a first draft of the Glasgow climate summit, calling on nations to strengthen their climate targets for 2030 and called for accelerated coal exit and ending fossil fuel subsidies – a historic first – in the UN summit.
The draft includes language acknowledging the world should be aiming to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
However, climate negotiators said the text didn’t currently go far enough on the key issues of finance, adaptation, and loss and damage.
Citing an example, they say there is no specific date for scaling up adaptation finance, though some placeholders remain throughout the text waiting for ministerial consultations.
This is in comparison with a well-fleshed out — though not perfect — text on mitigation, which includes a recognition that countries need to come back to the table to scale their 2030 climate plans by 2023 to keep 1.5 Celsius target alive and that they need to align these with detailed long-term decarbonisation strategies — deadline 2022.
There are also — for the first time — calls for the acceleration of the phase out of coal and fossil fuel subsidies.
There are concerns the text on ambition on emissions won’t remain if the provision of finance is not scaled up.
The next step at Glasgow will be for countries to feedback on this text at a stocktaking meeting. The presidency will then conduct more consultations before issuing a second draft of the text in the coming days.
The highlights of the text include commitment for 196 countries to submit net-zero targets and plans in line with the Paris Agreement by 202, countries to accelerate coal phase-out and cut fossil fuel subsidies and key finance line.
Responding the COP26 text, Christian Aid’s climate policy lead, Kat Kramer, told IANS: “This is a historic moment as it’s the first time a COP text outlines the phase out of coal and fossil fuel subsidies.
“This wasn’t even mentioned in the Paris Agreement. However, there’s lots of work that needs to be done on the finance side for poorer countries. There’s very little on how vulnerable nations are to be supported to adapt and cope with the permanent losses and damages caused by climate change.”
Teresa Anderson, Climate Policy Coordinator at ActionAid International, said: “Where is the support to help people forced to pick up the pieces after climate disasters? Where is the action to meet all this talk of urgency? Where are the real commitments that the world needs to limit warming to 1.5C, or to back up the need for action with climate finance?”
“This draft deal is not a plan to solve the climate crisis, it’s an agreement that we’ll all cross our fingers and hope for the best. It’s a polite request that countries maybe, possibly, do more next year. Well that’s not good enough and the negotiators shouldn’t even think about leaving this city until they’ve agreed a deal that meets the moment,” said Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director, Greenpeace International.
“The text needs to be much stronger on finance and adaptation and needs to include real numbers in the hundreds of billions, with a delivery plan for richer countries to support less developed nations. And we need to see a deal that commits countries to coming back every year with new and better plans until together they get us over the bar and we can stay below 1.5C of warming.”
“On the key demands of vulnerable countries there is very little (in the text). On helping these countries adapt to climate impacts and deal with the permanent losses and damage it is very fuzzy and vague. The fact that the deadline for the long promised $100bn of climate finance from rich countries has been missed doesn’t even get mentioned. This is a specific ask of poor countries,” said Mohamed Adow, Director, Powershift Africa.
With 197 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.
The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep a global average temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The UNFCCC is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The ultimate objective of all agreements under the UNFCCC is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system, in a time frame which allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.
The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy outlined nine existing and planned projects to help accelerate the UAE’s ambitious Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative, reports Asian Lite News
The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy on Friday confirmed key sector initiatives over the next decade to help accelerate the UAE’s sustainable economic growth while supporting its ambitious Net Zero By 2050 Strategic Initiative, during COP26 in Glasgow.
The DoE outlined nine existing and planned projects focused on clean energy generation from solar and nuclear sources, electrification of the water production system through reverse osmosis (RO) technology and enabling policies and energy efficiency measures. When combined they can reduce emissions associated with power generation and water production by at least 50 percent in the next 10 years.
Eng. Awaidha Al Marar, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, said, “Building on a 15-year track record of climate innovation and the UAE’s enduring support for the Paris Climate Agreement, our commitment is underpinned by a strategic shift to low-carbon technologies with large-scale investment in solar and nuclear energy to drive down emissions. For instance, Abu Dhabi has developed a world-class sustainability investment vehicle through the launch of Masdar City in 2008 as one of the world’s first carbon-neutral developments. Since then, we have taken the lead regionally in deploying renewable energy.
COP26 panel at UAE Pavillon on Climate Neutrality and the Opportunity for Economic Growth
“Our 1.2GW Noor Abu Dhabi Solar PV plant has increased the share of renewables in our energy mix to six percent of the emirate’s total installed capacity in 2021, and the launch of the first reactor of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in 2020 has also increased the share of carbon-free energy production in the emirate’s energy mix to 7 percent in 2021.
“With more upcoming renewable deployments like Abu Dhabi’s 2GW Al Dhafra Solar PV project due by 2023, as well as the baseload nuclear energy expected upon full operation of the Barakah plant, the total clean power generation capacity in the emirate will reach 8.8GW in 2025. That increases the share of clean energy capacity in the energy mix to 31 percent by 2025 from 13 percent in 2021.”
Al Marar added, “With these solar and nuclear projects, it could influence electricity generation by 2025 to be seven percent produced from solar PV sources and 47 percent from nuclear power.
“This means 55 percent of Abu Dhabi’s electricity in 2025 will be generated from clean sources and can cut power generation emissions from 40 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2020 to approximately 20 million tonnes in 2025.”
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri
The UAE Initiative comprises key existing and planned projects from Abu Dhabi’s energy sector that could drive total emission reductions of more than 29 million tonnes per year by 2030. These include: Noor Abu Dhabi Solar PV plant projected to avoid up to 1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year Barakah Nuclear Power Plant to avoid 21 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year Al Dhafra 2GW Single Site Solar PV Plant which could reduce 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions Two additional solar projects with a combined capacity of 2GW and potential to avoid 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions Two waste-to-energy plants in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain are expected to help reduce 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. Additionally, Abu Dhabi is contributing a new planned water production electrification project to support the energy transition and ensure that the UAE Net Zero ambition becomes a reality in the future.
Commenting on the importance of decarbonising the water sector, Al Marar said, “Water is a vital resource and a national priority to cover the present and future water demands of our population, maintain our food security, and sustain our economic growth.
“Four of our current desalination plants in Abu Dhabi utilise RO technology and represent 24 percent of the emirate’s desalinated water production in 2021. This share is expected to grow to 43 percent by 2025 as new RO projects are implemented including the Al Taweelah RO desalination facility which is expected to be the largest in the world with a combined production capacity of 200 MIGD and the potential to avoid 1.2 million CO2 emissions per year.
“Additional RO projects through 2030 with an approximate total capacity of 680 million gallons per day are expected to increase the share of RO in Abu Dhabi’s total water production to 80 percent and reduce four million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.”
The UAE Net Zero Strategic Initiative also outlines a package of proposals to make the UAE’s energy, environment, industry, and transportation policies fit for enabling the necessary acceleration of greenhouse gas emission reductions in the next decade.
A notable initiative in this regard is the Abu Dhabi Demand Side Management and Energy Rationalisation Strategy which DoE designed to address supply and demand issues through a nine-programme multi-stakeholder approach. It aims to reduce electricity consumption by 22 percent and water consumption by 32 percent by 2030.
The strategic implementation could avoid the emission of more than 9 mt of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere – the equivalent of removing 1.5 million vehicles from the road for an entire year.
Between 2019 and 2020 Abu Dhabi’s DSM initiatives have contributed to achieving 6,183 GWh of cumulative annual electricity savings and 230 Mm3 of annual water savings, which represent short-term costs savings in the order of AED1.1 billion, avoiding the emission of approximately 3.2 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The signing of a memorandum of understanding follows up on the initial announcement made in June this year at the Mission Innovation Ministerial Conference…reports Asian Lite News.
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen and Bill Gates, the Founder of Breakthrough Energy, together with European Investment Bank President, Werner Hoyer on Tuesday officially entered into a pioneering partnership that will boost investments in critical climate technologies.
The signing of a memorandum of understanding follows up on the initial announcement made in June this year at the Mission Innovation Ministerial Conference.
The partnership between the Commission, European Investment Bank and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst will mobilise up to 820 million euro ($1 billion) between 2022-2026 to accelerate the deployment and rapidly commercialise innovative technologies that will help deliver European Green Deal ambitions and the EU’s 2030 climate targets.
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends day two of the COP26 World Leaders Summit. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
Each euro of public funds is expected to leverage three euros of private funds. Investments will be directed towards a portfolio of EU-based projects with high potential in four sectors: clean hydrogen; sustainable aviation fuels; direct air capture; and long-duration energy storage.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: “The time for action is now. The climate challenge requires us to invest in high-risk innovations and to eliminate the ‘green premium’ involved in commercialising new technologies.
“I cannot wait to see the technologies coming to the market. The EU-Catalyst partnership is another step on the way to making Europe the first climate neutral and climate innovation continent. I look to member states, industry and others to join the climate innovation race.”
Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank, said: “To meet the Paris climate goals we need a global technological revolution and massive investments in game-changing innovations. The European Investment Bank has a strong track record of financing early stage technologies, helping scale them up to become more affordable.”
“Today we are using this expertise to reach the EU’s ambitious climate targets. I am delighted that we can announce today a new partnership with the European Commission and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst to support the green solutions of tomorrow and build a green future for all of us.”
Net zero by 2050 is also an innovation goal.
Together with the private sector, let's invest to scale up and deploy the technologies that are already on the horizon, like renewable hydrogen.
Bill Gates, Founder of Breakthrough Energy, said: “Reaching net-zero will be one of the hardest things humanity has ever done. It will require new technologies, new policies and new partnerships between the private and public sector at a scale we have never seen before.”
“This partnership with the European Commission and European Investment Bank will help accelerate the widespread adoption of climate solutions, which will build clean industries, and create job opportunities throughout Europe for generations to come.”
PM Modi said that the launch of Infrastructure for the Resilient Island States fills us with new hope and beliefs and gives us satisfaction to do something for the most vulnerable nations, reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson on Tuesday launched the initiative Infrastructure for the Resilient Island States (IRIS) at the 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the launch of Infrastructure for the Resilient Island States fills us with new hope and beliefs and gives us satisfaction to do something for the most vulnerable nations.
Launching the IRIS initiative at the 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP26), along with his British counterpart Boris Johnson, PM Modi said, “The launch of Infrastructure for the Resilient Island States fills us with new hope and beliefs. This gives us the satisfaction to do something for the most vulnerable nations.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the COP26 Summit (Image: PIB)
Speaking about the impact of climate change on the world, PM Modi said, “The past few decades have proven that nobody remains untouched by effects of climate change. Be it developed nations or nations that are rich in natural resources. It’s a huge threat.”
“Small Island Developing States are most threatened with climate change. For them, it is a matter of life and death, a challenge to their existence. Calamities due to climate change can become devastating for them. It is not only a challenge for their lives but also for their economy,” he added.
The Infrastructure for the Resilient Island State (IRIS) is an initiative to boost the infrastructure in small island countries.
PM Modi reached Glasgow on Sunday to participate in the COP26 summit.
The Prime Minister also held bilateral meetings with leaders of Ukraine, Nepal, Israel, Switzerland, Finland, Malawi in Glasgow, Scotland and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
On Monday, PM Modi met Boris Johnson on the sidelines of COP26. He stated that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has accepted PM Modi’s invitation to visit India saying that he would plan his visit as soon as the circumstances allow.
He also met members of the Indian community in Glasgow to strengthen people-to-people bonds between the two countries ahead of his participation in the 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP26).
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi meeting with Bill Gates, in Glasgow, Scotland on November 02, 2021.
The COP26 is taking place under the Presidency of the UK partnering with Italy. The high-level segment of COP-26 is titled the World Leaders’ Summit (WLS) and the Summit has participation by heads of State/Government of over 120 countries. The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to participate in the event. (ANI)
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi meeting the President of Ukraine, Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Glasgow, Scotland on November 02, 2021.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi meeting the Prime Minister of Nepal, Shri Sher Bahadur Deuba, in Glasgow, Scotland on November 02, 2021.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting the Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi meeting with Bill Gates, in Glasgow, Scotland on November 02, 2021.
The Prime Minister also congratulated Indonesia for the G20 Presidency next year and assured President Joko Widodo of India’s readiness to work closely with the Southeast-Asian country….reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Rome and both sides discussed the recent course of India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs said.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister also congratulated Indonesia for the G20 Presidency next year and assured President Joko Widodo of India’s readiness to work closely with the Southeast-Asian country.
The two leaders appreciated each other’s steadfast support during the COVID-19 pandemic, and agreed to cooperate towards post-pandemic recovery. They also emphasized the importance of Indo-Pacific cooperation, the statement added.
Both leaders committed to strengthen bilateral trade and investment between the two countries, and pave way for greater people-to-people interaction, it stated.
Discussions also took place on combating climate change, particularly on the need for implementation of climate finance commitments, the statement said.
The G20 Summit hosted by Italy for two days (October 30-31), saw the participation of the Heads of State and Government of the world’s major economies to address several key topics of the global agenda.
Modi was addressing the Global Summit on Supply Chain Resilience convened by US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy…reports Asian Lite News
The three aspects most important to improving global supply chains were Trusted Source, Transparency and Time-Frame, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.
He was addressing the Global Summit on Supply Chain Resilience convened by US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy.
“It is necessary that our supply must be from Trusted Sources. It is also important for our shared security. Trusted sources must be such that they do not have a reactive tendency so that the supply chain is protected from a tit for tat approach,” PM Modi noted.
He added that for the reliability of the supply chain, it was also necessary that there must be transparency in it. Many companies in the world were facing a shortage of small things due to lack of transparency, PM Modi pointed out.
“If there is no timely supply of essential things, it may lead to bigger losses. We have clearly realized this in pharma and medical supplies in the Corona times. So to ensure supply within a time-frame, we have to diversify our supply chains. And for this, alternative manufacturing capacity will have to be developed in developing countries,” the Prime Minister argued.
According to PM Modi, India had built its credibility as a Trusted Sources of pharmaceuticals, IT and other items.
“We look forward to playing our role in clean technology supply chain as well. I suggest that we instruct our teams to meet quickly to come up with further action plan within a certain time frame, based on our shared democratic values,” he said.
PM Modi pointed out that in the initial months of the pandemic, everybody felt the shortage of raw materials to produce vaccines, health equipment and essential medicines.
“Now that the world is gearing up for economic recovery, the supply problems of semiconductors and other commodities are coming in the way of healthy growth. Who in the world thought there would ever be a shortage of shipping containers?” PM Modi remarked.
Pointing out that India had accelerated the export of vaccines to improve the global supply of vaccines, he said, “We are also working with our Quad partners to supply better and affordable Covid-19 vaccine in the Indo-Pacific region”.
With India gearing up to produce 5 billion COVID vaccine doses for the world next year, it was also very important that there is no hindrance in the supply of raw material, PM Modi noted.
The high-level segment of COP-26 is titled the World Leaders’ Summit (WLS) and the Summit will be attended by Heads of State/Government of more than 120 countries…reports Asian Lite News.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with members of the Indian community in Glasgow on Monday to strengthen people-to-people bonds ahead of his participation in the 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-26).
“Strengthening our people-to-people bonds. Indian community members and Indologists gather in Glasgow to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.
At COP-26, the parties are expected to work to achieve the completion of Paris Agreement implementation guidelines; the mobilisation of climate finance; actions to strengthen climate adaptation, technology development and transfer; and keeping in reach the Paris Agreement goals of limiting the rise in global temperatures.
The COP-26 is going to be a multilateral event and an opportunity for “Prime Ministers of India and the UK to sit together and review the implementation, the progress that had been made on the roadmap 2030 in May 2021,” High Commissioner of India to UK Gaitri Issar Kumar had said during an interview with ANI.
The COP-26 is set to take place under the Presidency of the UK partnering with Italy. The high-level segment of COP-26 is titled the World Leaders’ Summit (WLS) and the Summit will be attended by Heads of State/Government of more than 120 countries.
PM Modi arrived in Glasgow on Sunday. The Prime Minister is on a two- day visit to participate in the event.Later in the day, PM Modi is also scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of COP-26 and will also meet UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss bilateral ties between India and the UK.
PM Modi is also slated to launch two important initiatives under the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the 26th session of the Conference of Parties.
This comes after PM Modi participated in the G20 summit and in the Summit on Global Supply Chain Resilience, on the sidelines of the G20. He also met outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Rome. (ANI)
The UK Prime Minister said the anger and impatience of the world will be uncontainable “unless we make this COP26 in Glasgow the moment when we get real about climate change”, reports Asian Lite News
“If we don’t get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children to do so tomorrow,” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told leaders at the start of the COP26 World Leaders Summit in Glasgow.
“Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change. It’s one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now,” Johnson said.
He said the anger and impatience of the world will be uncontainable “unless we make this COP26 in Glasgow the moment when we get real about climate change”
Picture by Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street
He said “we can get real on coal, cars, cash and trees.”
“We have the technology to deactivate that ticking doomsday device not all at once. I am afraid it is too late for that. But one by one and with ever greater speed and efficiency we can begin to close down those billions of hydrocarbon combustion chambers that you find currently in every corner of the planet,” he added.
Johnson has said that the developed world must recognise the special responsibility they have to help everybody for the green industrial revolution.
“As we look at the green industrial revolution, it is now needed around the world. We in the developed world must recognise the special responsibility we have, to help everybody else to do it,” Johnson said while addressing the COP-26 World Leaders Summit here.
Picture by Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street
Underlining that for 200 years, the industrialised countries were in complete ignorance of the problems that they were creating, Johnson said: “We now have a duty to find those funds – 100 billion dollars a year that was promised in Paris by 2020 but which we would not deliver until 2023.”
The UK prime minister also spoke about James Watt. He said that it was here in Glasgow 250 years ago, that Watt came up with a machine that was powered by steam that was produced by burning coal.
“We brought you to the very place where the doomsday machine began,” Johnson said.
The COP26 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) kicked off here on Sunday under the Presidency of the UK partnering with Italy.
It brings all parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also participating in the event. (ANI)
