‘Apex Committee for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (AIPA)’
- Category
Environment
- Published
8th Dec, 2020
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In a latest development, the Government of India has constituted the Apex Committee for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (AIPA).
Context
In a latest development, the Government of India has constituted the Apex Committee for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (AIPA).
About
- The AIPA also has the responsibility of regularly communicating and reporting the NDCs to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
- India is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- Composition: The AIPA committee constitutes a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and 15 other members from different ministries:
- Chairperson: Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
- Vice Chairperson: Additional secretary, MoEFCC
- The AIPA will also act as a national authority for the regulation of carbon markets in India under the Article 6.2, Article 6.4 and Article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement.
What is Paris Agreement?
- The Paris Agreementis a landmark environmental accord that was adopted by nearly every nation in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts.
- The deal aims to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit the global temperature increasein this century to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, while pursuing means to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees.
- The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to put forward their best efforts through “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the years ahead.
Nationally Determined Contributions
- NDCs are the accounts of the voluntary efforts to be made by countries that are a part of the Paris Agreement, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic climate change.
- The three quantitative goals in the Indian NDCs are:
- A 33-35 per cent reduction in the gross domestic product emissions intensity by 2030 from 2005 levels
- A 40 per cent share of non-fossil fuel based electricity by 2030
- Creating a carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide through afforestation programmes
- Apart from these, there are five other non-quantitive goals in the Indian NDCs.
- The NDCs are to be implemented in the post-2020 period.
- India had submitted its NDCs in 2015.
- Now, the AIPA, with its 17 members, has the responsibility of formulating policies and programmes for implementing them.
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What is the purpose of the Committee?
- To ensure a coordinated response on climate change matters that protects the country’s interests
- To ensure that India is on track towards meeting its climate change obligations under the Paris Agreement including its submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)”.
- To define the responsibilities of the government ministries that would be crucial in achieving the country’s climate change mitigation and adaptation goals and submit a report every six months.
- To develop policies and programmes, if required, to make India’s domestic climate actions compliant with its international obligations.