India announced Friday that it will aim to reduce emissions intensity of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 33 to 35 percent by 2030.
The ambitious climate action plan, named Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), seeks to reduce the carbon emissions intensity, or emissions per unit of GDP, from the 2005 level, according to an official statement.
INDC also aims to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 ( Carbon dioxide) equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
India submitted INDC to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) Thursday. The announcement came ahead of a crucial United Nations climate summit set to take place in Paris in December.
"We are confident we will achieve the 35 percent (target) by 2030. It is a huge jump for India, therefore it is a very ambitious target," said Prakash Javadekar, environment minister in the Narendra Modi-led government, according to DW.
He described INDC a "comprehensive and ambitious" plan to reduce emission levels, adding that it will require at least $2.5 trillion to meet climate change actions between now and 2030, reported Asian Age.
Javadekar also said that India is not part of the climate change problems the world is facing, but it wants to be part of solution.
"Our per capita emission in 2030 will remain lower than the average of the developed countries, which is at 8.98 tonnes per person," he said, according to India Infoline.
