UN climate chief calls India ‘solar superpower’, urges it to submit stronger climate action plan

New Delhi: calling India a ‘solar superpower, UN climate chief Simon Stiell has urged it to develop an ambitious climate plan covering its entire economy

He said an even stronger embrace of the global clean energy boom will supercharge its economic rise.

Stiell, who is in India to attend the ET Global Business Summit, lauded India’s efforts to mitigate climate change, saying that while some governments only talk, “India delivers”.

“India is already a solar superpower, one of only four countries to have installed more than 100 gigawatts of solar… Energy access is on the rise with villages across the country electrified by 2018, well ahead of schedule,” he said.

“Now there is a real opportunity to take the next step and unleash even bigger benefits for India’s 1.4 billion people and economy. India is already headed firmly in this direction, but an even stronger embrace of the global clean energy boom will supercharge India’s economic rise,” he said.

Stiell said India has an opportunity that only a few countries have: “To realise ambitious plans to deploy hundreds more gigawatts of renewable energy capacity. To lead a new wave of green industrialization, developing, scaling, and exporting vital technologies.”

He said the world’s fifth-largest economy is well-positioned to reap the benefits of ambitious, economy-wide climate plans. “Key among them is Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s leadership in prioritizing LiFE unleashing the power of institutions, communities, and individuals to protect the environment and promote a circular economy.”