New Delhi: The Central government on Thursday announced the constitution of the ‘National Designated Authority’ for the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The Paris Agreement 2015 is a collective global effort by the comity of nations that have agreed to reduce carbon emissions to keep the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era.
The National Designated Authority is a mandatory requirement as India is a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The objective of the Convention is to achieve stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
The Paris Agreement has established mechanisms for the parties to the convention through actions as committed in their respective Nationally Determined Contributions.
India also has a National Clean Development Mechanism Authority to fulfil emerging requirement of Clean Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol.
“The NDA would be expected to furnish reports about its activities to the Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement (AIPA) and or the Central Government as the case may be,” said a senior official from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
Secretary, MoEF&CC would be the chairperson of the NDA while Director, Climate Change Division in the MoEF&CC would be the member-secretary.
Earlier, India has ratified the Kyoto Protocol and the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol under the UNFCCC and constituted the National Clean Development Mechanism Authority (NCDMA) in 2004.
India has also ratified the Paris Agreement for implementation of the Convention in accordance with the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances.
The members comprise representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Department of Economic Affairs, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the Ministry of Power, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Ministry of Science and Technology, NITI Aayog and the Economic Adviser / Joint Secretary (Climate Change), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Member.
Among other things, the NDA will authorized the use of emission reduction unit from projects and actions for use towards achievement of the NDCs and for other international mitigation purpose and define the corresponding adjustment and furnish information regarding these units to the Supervisory Body or Subsidiary Body under the UNFCCC.
(IANS)
