World off-track on 1.5°C target, delayed climate action poses huge risk: EU Ambassador

Time of India

10 hours ago

New Delhi: The
European Union
and
India
are expanding joint efforts to develop and scale clean technologies and decarbonised industries, said Hervé Delphin, European Union Ambassador to India, at the ET India Net Zero Forum 2025.
'Investing in clean tech and a decarbonised industry is a smart economic move. The EU and India are actively pursuing this through joint partnerships and through the EU-India Trade and Technology Council, working to take clean tech from research to startups and scale, with aligned standards and regulations,' Delphin said. Mentioning India's bold 500 GW renewables target by 2030, he said that it is game-changer and the EU supports this green leap through sustainable finance.
He pointed out that the current global trajectory is not aligned with the
Paris Agreement
goals. 'The world is clearly not on track to meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Current policies and pledges are falling short, and the gap between ambition and action keeps widening,' he said.
Delphin added that the costs of climate inaction or delays in mitigation efforts can have severe economic consequences. 'The cost of inaction—or delayed action—is huge, as climate events, whether slow or sudden, can wipe out decades of investment and billions in infrastructure within hours,' he said.
The EU and India have been working to deepen cooperation in
renewable energy
, green hydrogen, battery storage, and electric mobility under their strategic roadmap. The EU-India Trade and Technology Council has been facilitating regulatory alignment and collaborative industrial innovation in
clean technology
segments.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently launched Global Energy Transitions Forum at Davos this year, which an effort to bring together governments, international organizations and financial actors to double down on implementation. He said that, 'it is imperative to keep momentum and he hoped that India can add its voice to this Forum.'
On the upcoming COP 30 meeting in Belém in Brazil in November 2025, he said, 'ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions are needed to push forward the global effort to limit temperature rise and the level of India's ambition will be the determining factor in the ability of the world as a whole to meet its collective objectives.'
The remarks come at a time when both regions are looking to accelerate the transition to
net zero emissions
by mid-century, with India aiming for net zero by 2070.