India ratified the Paris Agreement on the birthday of Mohandas K. Gandhi ( Mahatma Gandhi, revered as the Father of the Nation by Indians), who was born Oct. 2, 1869.
“Today the government of India has demonstrated global leadership and vision by joining the Paris agreement on climate change,” U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon tweeted. “This historic step will further India’s sustainable path to growth and development.”
Currently sixty-two countries have joined, representing 52 percent of global emissions, according to the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change, reports the Washington Post.
Ajay Mathur, director general of the Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, said that the government plans to achieve its climate goals in three ways:
- Launch a market next year to balance supply and consumption of electricity
- Institute a program to increase the efficiency of the agriculture sector
- Spur more efficient technologies in air conditioning, since cooling accounts for half of the growth in new electricity demand
