World off-track on 1.5°C target, delayed climate action poses huge risk: EU Ambassador
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
19 minutes ago
- Hans India
26 EU leaders back Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin meet, Hungary stays away
Brussels: As many as 26 leaders of the European Union issued a joint statement on Monday, highlighting their support for Ukraine ahead of the much-awaited meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15. Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban, however, decided to not support the statement, citing reservations about the idea. In the statement, drafted by EU Council president Antonio Costa, the European leaders said that a "just and lasting peace" must uphold Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that borders "must not be changed by force." "The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine," they said. "Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities." The EU leaders welcomed Trump's efforts towards "ending Russia's war of aggression" against Ukraine and achieving a just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine. They stated that a lasting peace is required with respect for international law, emphasising the territorial integrity of Ukraine. During the past two days, the European Union has made a push for inclusion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the talks, Euro News reported. Any diplomatic solution, they said, must protect the security interests of Europe and Ukraine. In the statement, the EU leaders hinted that the bloc is ready to provide further political, financial, and military support to Ukraine for its self defence and demanded security guarantees for war-torn nation. Furthermore, the leaders expressed support for Ukraine's path towards EU membership. Meanwhile, Hungary said that it "does not associate itself" with the statement. "Just four days ahead of the historic summit between President Trump and President Putin, the European Council sought to issue a statement in the name of all EU heads of state and government. Before the liberal-mainstream chorus begins its newest rendition of their favourite 'Putin's puppet' tune, I decided to share why I could NOT support the statement on behalf of Hungary," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban posted on X. Orban stated further: "The statement attempts to set conditions for a meeting to which leaders of the EU were not invited. The fact that the EU was left on the sidelines is sad enough as it is. The only thing that could make things worse is if we started providing instructions from the bench. The only sensible action for EU leaders is to initiate an EU-Russia summit, based on the example of the US-Russia meeting. Let's give peace a chance!" On Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reaffirmed Hungary's stance that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine should be resolved through diplomacy instead of military confrontation, Xinhua News Agency reported. In a statement shared on Facebook, he stated that Hungary has consistently called for a ceasefire and diplomatic dialogue. Szijjarto said Hungary sees the Trump-Putin summit as a potential step toward peace. He stated that he had discussed the upcoming meeting between Putin and Trump with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov over a phone-call.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Cow's milk, as well as Russian oil, fuels the US-India trade war
Donald Trump has beef with India for buying oil from Russia. But the American president's tariffs totalling 50% on many Indian exports—set to come into force later this month—are not just about geopolitics. Agriculture and dairy have been the most contentious issues in India's talks with America, which broke down this month. And it is over farming that India's equally combative prime minister, Narendra Modi, has chosen to fight back. 'India will never compromise on the wellbeing of its farmers, dairy and fishermen,' he thundered in Delhi on August 7th, a day after Mr Trump's announcement. For Hindu-nationalist politicians like Mr Modi, the dairy industry has particular importance (the cow is sacred in Hinduism). But it is also a source of national pride, seen as a poverty-alleviating triumph of enlightened policymaking, technological advance and international co-operation. India is a milk superpower. For nearly three decades it has been the world's biggest producer and is now the source of about a quarter of the global total. Yet, from the point of view of India's trading partners, notably America, the industry seems to sum up all that is wrong with India. It is grossly inefficient, subsidised, polluting (all that methane) and heavily protected by high tariff barriers and a perplexing lattice of arcane non-tariff ones. Can these diametrically opposed views be reconciled? The answer matters a lot to India's trade diplomacy. It is not just America that complains about access to the Indian market. It is a sticking-point in negotiations with the European Union, too, and was one of the thorniest issues in the negotiations leading to a free-trade agreement with Britain signed last month. It may also have been the main reason why India pulled out of a big regional trade deal in 2019. Indian dairy still basks in the glow of a 'white revolution' launched in 1970. At the time Indians already had more cattle than any other country, but they consumed an average of about 100 millilitres of milk a day, far below recommended nutritional standards. Some of that had to be imported. By the turn of the century India had virtually doubled the availability of milk per person. Dairy practices had been modernised and the cross-breeding of cattle had boosted yields. A network of tens of thousands of co-operatives had been established, improving distribution and logistics, financed by the sale of skimmed milk powder and butter donated by the European Economic Community, the EU's forebear. Yields have continued to improve this century, but the structure of the industry remains unchanged. 'White Revolution 2.0', launched by the government last year, aims not to reform but expand it, with co-operatives increasing milk procurement by 50% over five years. Production will still depend on tens of millions of smallholders—families with a cow that grazes on their plot, produces dung and urine to be used as fertiliser, and provides milk for the family, sometimes with a surplus to sell. Himanshu (who goes by one name), a professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, points out that Mr Modi and Mr Trump are both very 'pro-farmer'. But their farmers, including dairy farmers, could hardly be more different. India has about 200m cattle, of which the United States Department of Agriculture estimates 62m are dairy cows. Yet the average 'herd' consists of fewer than four, and the average landholding of just one hectare. A number widely used is that 80m families have one or more cows or buffaloes. America has just 24,000 dairy farms, with an average herd size of about 390. Co-operatives guarantee Indian farmers a buyer for their milk, and pay them bonuses when prices rise. A handful have become big national organisations—notably Amul, from Gujarat, home state of Mr Modi and his powerful cabinet minister, Amit Shah. So vaunted is the success of the agricultural co-operative system that in July Mr Shah unveiled plans to extend it to other businesses such as tourism, taxis and green energy. Proud as Indians are of their cows and their dairy farmers, they have to admit that both are, by international standards, woefully unproductive. The average American cow produces about seven times as much milk as her Indian competitor. India protects its dairy farmers with import tariffs comparable to those Mr Trump is now imposing on Indian exporters: 40% on most butter and cheese and 60% on powdered milk. Without these protections, says Shashi Kumar, boss of Akshayakalpa, a privately owned organic-dairy business in southern India that works with 2,200 small farmers, 'smallholder farms will collapse'. It is not just tariffs that Mr Trump's negotiators object to. India excludes imports of all genetically modified crops except cotton, and in dairy there is a ban on what has become known as 'non-veg milk'—with a requirement that imported dairy products be certified to come from cows that had not been fed animal products such as bonemeal. The ban is often decried as a non-tariff barrier dressed up in politically correct Hindu-nationalist clothes. Vijay Sardana, a lawyer and agri-economist, points out it was in fact introduced in 2003, when he drafted the law in response to the BSE (mad-cow disease) scare in Europe. Still, the perception that the Indian government will use any available tactic to protect its farmers is probably justified. Harish Damodaran, the agriculture editor of the Indian Express, a newspaper, points out that twice in four years India's farmers have fended off attempts at reform. In 2021 their prolonged, angry protests in Delhi forced Mr Modi to repeal three laws introducing sensible deregulatory reforms. Mr Trump's effort to impose change through diplomacy may prove equally fruitless.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Xi Blasts 'U.S Protectionism' As Trump Blinks On China Tariffs; Revealing 60-Min Call With Lula
Brazilian President Lula da Silva held a high-stakes call with Chinese President Xi Jinping amid rising trade tensions with the U.S. The hour-long discussion focused on strengthening Brazil–China ties, resisting U.S. protectionism, and coordinating BRICS positions. Xi expressed full support for Brazil's sovereignty, while Lula emphasized solidarity within the Global South. The leaders also discussed the Ukraine war, climate cooperation ahead of COP30, and tech partnerships. This comes just days after the U.S. President Donald Trump imposed harsh tariffs on Brazilian goods, while easing restrictions on China.#Lula #XiJinping #ChinaBrazil #BRICS #GlobalSouth #TradeWar #Geopolitics #COP30 #USChina #BrazilNews #ChinaNews #Tariffs #BilateralTies #XiLula Read More
