On Sunday (October 31), India highlighted that achieving its climate goals is dependent on its inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) that has been held hostage by China, reported The Times of India. The country emphasised the need for the availability of technology towards meeting the “Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC)” that were laid down during the G20 meeting on climate action in Italy.
While speaking about the matter, India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal stated, “This is something that will have to be decided in terms of types of technologies that will be available for climate transition. For example, for our technology to be replaced from coal to, maybe, nuclear, we will need large amounts of capital for setting up nuclear power plants, both to replace our current demand, and for our future demand that our development imperative requires. We will need to be a member of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group for adequate availability of raw material for nuclear supply and several other associated concerns around the cost of power.”
India has taken an ‘assertive stance’ in the face of pressure put down by the developed Western nations on all countries to adopt a net zero emission target. Piyush Goyal informed that the onus lay on developed countries that have borne the fruits of low-cost energy for several years. He added that for developing countries to achieve net zero carbon emission targets, the developed nations have to move faster and make net negative space for them. Goyal emphasised the importance of technological availability for developing nations to reach sustainable climate change goals.
India also put pressure on the developed nations to provide $100 billion annually through 2025 and not later than 2023 to help achieve these goals. It laid emphasis on mobilising capital for supporting green initiatives and sustainable development. In line with PM Modi’s vision to promote sustainable lifestyle choices, Piyush Goyal informed, “For the first time, G20 has identified sustainable and responsible consumption and production, along with the provision of finance and technology as ‘critical enablers’ for achieving climate goals of keeping 1.5 degrees within reach.”
Between 2014 and 2019, India has become a member of all the key anti-nuclear, biological and chemical weapons proliferation groups like the Australia Group, Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) except for Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), where India’s admission is opposed by China at the behest of Pakistan. NSG rules suggest that a new member can be admitted only if all the members mutually agree. Even if one member opposes, the new member can’t be admitted. China is using this clause to its advantage for stalling India’s admission, where all other members of NSG are positive about India’s admission to the NSG.
