India's Technological Leap to Clean-Tech Leadership

Amitabh Kant, India's G20 Sherpa, emphasizes the nation's potential to lead in clean-tech amid global trade disruptions. He urges India's focus on renewable energy, warns about reliance on imports from China, and criticizes developed countries for inadequate climate funding, impacting developing nations' climate goals.

In an interview at the Centre for Science and Environment's annual dialogue, Amitabh Kant, India's G20 Sherpa, highlighted the nation's opportunity to lead in clean-tech manufacturing due to global trade disruptions. Kant stressed the importance of technological advances, like those seen with UPI in fintech, being replicated in clean-tech fields.

Kant warned that failing to seize this opportunity could make India reliant on imports, particularly from China, potentially surpassing current oil expenditure. He critiqued developed nations for not fulfilling their financial commitments to support climate actions in developing countries, highlighting a need of USD 1.3 trillion annually for such initiatives.

Additionally, Kant addressed governance issues, blaming poor governance for Delhi's pollution and urging improvements in industrial practices. He pointed to the lack of political will to handle pollution sources both within and around the city, including biomass burning and outdated industrial technology.

(With inputs from agencies.)