The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit concluded in Tianjin. China announced it will invest in building 10 gigawatts (GW) of solar and 10 GW of wind power across SCO member countries over the next five years, a large increase on the 1 GW of solar and 0.3 GW of wind China invested in SCO states since 2019. The Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline was also mentioned which if built could push the Russian share of China’s gas imports up to a third by the 2030s, reported Dialogue Earth adding that: “India, too, continues buying discounted Russian crude despite new US tariffs…The message is that China is not isolated. Others in Asia are also resisting US pressure.”
The outlet explained that: “For New Delhi, this engagement could indeed help streamline trade and knowledge sharing on green technologies. But it will remain cautious in order to protect its domestic supply-chain reforms. It will continue pursuing diversification to prevent falling into new dependencies.”
The Wire noted that “headwinds” of “opposing interests” of a “vast tent” of Belarus, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran (aside from Russian and China).
The outlet explained that all the SCO members and partner countries together constitute just about a 10% share of its overall merchandise exports market. “Therefore, promoting markets for Indian goods in Russia and China, the two other giants of the SCO, as well as to the other countries, must be of primary importance.”
For Pakistan, Dialogue Earth noted, the approval of the SCO Development Strategy 2035 and of the proposed SCO development bank offers alternatives to International Monetary Fund and World Bank financing. The outlet said “the continued India-Pakistan tensions, along with the failure to present a joint climate-action plan at the summit, remain critical challenges. But the SCO provided a platform for both counties…”
Tirades to truce: India-US trade talks resume
US-India trade talks are back on track after weeks of tirades by the US President and his top officials berating India, and imposing 50% tariffs on Indian products, hitting exporters.
India Express reported that US President Donald Trump said India and America are “continuing negotiations to address the trade barriers”, and that there would be “no difficulty” in the talks being successful. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both countries are “natural partners”.
Earlier, pictures of PM Modi in bilateral meetings with Xi and Putin had angered Trump who wrote it “looks like we have lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China”.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said: “The Chinese sell to us. The Indians sell to us. They’re not going to be able to sell to each other…So, eventually, they all have to come back to the customer…the customer is always right”, reported Indian Express.
Donald Trump reportedly called into a meeting with senior US and EU officials in Washington and asked the EU to impose tariffs of up to 100% on India and China, reported HT. India said in national interest it will continue to purchase Russian oil. The bilateral meeting between Xi and Modi is seen as a process of reset in Sino-Indian relations, “even as major challenges remain.” Russia’s consumer market has been opened to Indian agricultural exports, noted DTE.
Expecting NDCs of India, China, EU by end of month: COP30 CEO says after visits to counties
The COP30 Presidency is expecting the European Union, China, India and Latin American countries among others to announce their NDCs by the end of this month, Ana Toni, the CEO of COP30 said. Only 29 countries have updated their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) so far.
The United Nations climate chief has invited heads of states and governments to showcase their NDCs –– climate action plans created by countries under the Paris Agreement –– at the UN Secretary General’s high-level special event on climate action, in New York on September 24.
Toni and COP30 president André Aranha Corrêa do Lago met several Indian officials over the past couple of days, HT reported. “We met several government officials from the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC), the Prime Minister’s Office, and Niti Aayog. It was excellent, the meetings. It was good to hear the expectations about COP30, to see areas where Brazil and India could work… clarifying some of the topics that are on agenda,” Toni told the newspaper. “These specific topics, for example, how we work towards climate finance together, adaptation. We were able to understand the type of scenarios that you run into for your own energy sector. We were able to present the Brazilian NDC for your officials,” she said.
EU delays plans to approve 2040 climate goals
European Union countries have shelved plans to approve a new climate change target [this] week, after pushback from governments including France and Germany over plans to quickly land a deal”, Reuters reported. The news wire said Countries are discussing a legally-binding target to cut net EU greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040, from 1990 levels – with a share of this covered by buying foreign carbon credits.
Bloomberg reported that Germany has “sided with France to elevate discussions on the European Union’s 2040 climate goal to heads of government, delaying a vote on the proposal amid increasing concerns about its impact on industries and households.”
India needs $10 trillion for net-zero goal; green finance moral obligation of Global North: Bhupender Yadav
India’s environment minister Bhupendra Yadav said the country will need investments exceeding $10 trillion by 2070 to achieve its net-zero target. Yadav cited a 2023 Reserve Bank of India estimate, which projected about ₹85.6 trillion ($1.05 trillion) by 2030 required to help industries adapt to climate norms, reported the HT. India has three key principles on climate finance — that climate finance is development finance, clean power and efficient cities are the foundation for energy security, and countries that mobilise green investment now will own the value chains, he said.
The newspaper said Yadav said the developed countries have the moral responsibility to support the Global South. “The UNFCCC process of $300 billion by 2035 is insufficient. We believe the Global North must rise to hold its promises for the greater good of planet earth,” he said.
“Countries that mobilise green investment now will own the value chains of tomorrow,” Yadav explained while cautioning that public money would not be sufficient to address the scale of the problem at hand.
The minister further said, “The Modi government is aware that investors move when policies are predictable, pipelines are bankable, and measurements are credible. In short, the path to green finance is the path of collaborative growth,” the outlet said
Centre forms environment auditing framework: Hired ‘registered auditors’ to help pollution boards
Centre announced an environment monitoring framework that will allow hiring registered environment auditors (EAs) to help pollution control boards, reported HT.
The government said ““These rules establish a two-tiered system of auditors and set up a dedicated agency to transparently oversee the process. These rules are designed to supplement the existing monitoring and inspection framework of the government, not to replace it”
The newspaper explained that Tier-1 will be government regulators such as Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and regional offices of the ministry; and tier-2 comprises environment auditor-based mechanisms.
The auditors will be brought on board through a certification and registration mechanism, to be implemented by the Environment Audit Designate Agency (EADA) which will register a d certify EAs, monitoring their performance, take disciplinary action, facilitating capacity building, and maintaining an online register, the HT report said.
UK and US firms announce deals to usher in a new ’golden age’ of nuclear power ahead of Trump visit
UK and US companies signed nuclear deals ahead of Trump’s official visit to the UK, the country’s prime minister Keir Starmer hailed the business as “ a new ‘golden age’ of nuclear power. The news channel Skynews said: “The plans include a new nuclear power plant in Hartlepool using latent but cheaper technologies are betting big on nuclear to meet rising electricity demand and AI’s voracious appetite for energy.” The Financial Times reported that Downing Street said the US-UK nuclear energy agreement would “make it easier for companies to build new power stations in both countries, speeding up the time it takes for a project to get a technology licence from roughly three or four years to about two.” A
EU opens talks on carbon credits to win deal on key climate goal
EU countries will discuss changing norms related to imported carbon credits and allow cheaper credits over the next decade as part of a push for a “rapid deal” on the bloc’s 2040 climate goal, Bloomberg reported. The outlet cited official papers saying that Denmark, which currently holds the EU presidency, is open to amending the share of international credits that countries would be allowed under the proposed target to cut emissions to 90% below 1990 levels by 2040. The newspaper said: “The goal is one of the most contentious issues on the EU agenda, with members divided on the pace of pollution cuts and how to protect their economies.” It added that a “larger role for cheaper imported credits could potentially alleviate concerns among some states about the cost of the green drive”.
Reuters reported that countries remain split on how ambitious the 2040 emissions target should be, “putting into doubt plans to strike a deal next week”.
Africa climate summit targets green growth with homegrown resources
The second Africa Climate Summit closed in Ethiopia. The Independent reported that Africa’s 54 countries adopted the “Addis Ababa Declaration”, which “plans to provide power to 300 million out of the 600 million Africans currently without electricity access”, while “pushing to make the continent a ‘hub for low-carbon manufacturing’”. The newspaper said the document “also contains several references ‘demanding’, ‘urging’, or ‘stressing’ the need for more money from rich countries to help Africa tackle the climate crisis”.
Climate Home News reported that the summit ended “with a bold assertion of the continent’s ability to chart a path to green growth with homegrown resources”. The climate news portal said “climate campaigners expressed disappointment that leaders had not taken a stronger stance on the COP28 pledge to transition away from fossil fuels”.
Down to Earth reported that the declaration consists of three main elements: Speeding up the development of renewable energy, creating a coalition of Africa’s critical mineral producers to secure fair value in global supply chains, and safeguarding natural heritage through reforestation and restoration collaborations. The outlet said the declaration is all about the shift of narratives where adaptation, resilience and nature-based solutions are at the centre, explicitly calling for predictable and fair climate finance that reduces rather than adds to Africa’s debt.
Brazil to form new forum to address climate trade complaints at WTO forum next week, Brazil India China have accused WTO UN of failing to address trade issues of developing nations
EU states still fighting over crucial targets in run-up to COP30, leaked draft shows
The Guardian reported that EU member states are still “wrangling” over the bloc’s 2035 climate target, “with no sign of agreement”. The report was based on a leaked draft text seen by the Guardian, the report said. The EU’s next “nationally determined contribution” (NDC), under the Paris Agreement, should be set around 74-78% to put the bloc on a path to its mid-century net-zero target” the newspaper noted. However, the negotiating document seen by the Guardian “leaves blanks marked with square brackets and placeholder text where the key numbers laying out new targets should be” the report said adding that with only “weeks to go before a UN-set deadline”, a perceived lack of commitment from the EU “would cause problems” at the COP30 climate summit later this year, amid strained geopolitics.
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