India-France’s Atal le développement durable

On February 28, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its 6^th Assessment Report, has reiterated the irreversibility and catastrophic impacts of climate change[1] and the necessity of early and concrete actions.

This opens opportunities of bilateral and multilateral diplomatic engagement for countries like India and France which have a robust and time-tested relationship. Both countries have a specific role to play. India is the third largest Green House Gas emitter and aims to limit its emissions, while the developing world (including Small Island Developing States) would like India to lend its voice to their demand for delivering on the climate finance pledges made by the global north. France can structure and lead cooperation on the blue economy and sustainability. The two countries can provide a template for the world to structure partnerships on sustainability.

The two democracies have been actively working together to solve various sustainability issues. India and France were the founding members of International Solar Alliance (ISA) launched on the side lines of the COP 21 held in Paris in 2015. The ISA is already an international intergovernmental organisation with over a hundred tropical countries as members, striving to develop and deploy solar energy solutions. The two governments declared 2021-22 as India-France Year of Environment[2]. It has five main themes: environmental protection, climate change, biodiversity conservation, sustainable urban development, and the development of renewable energies and energy efficiency.

The bilateral cooperation is already delivering on some of the critical areas such as solar energy, blue economy, and natural resource conservation. Innovative solutions like floating solar power generation is now a popular mode of renewable energy generation, helping to solve the twin problems of a power crisis and the evaporation of precious water resources from semi-arid regions. Private French firms like Ciel et Terre are among the leading technology players and are establishing commercial scale floating solar power generation units in India^{^[3]}. The public sector is also collaborating: In January 2021, the Agence française de développement, (the French Development Agency, AFD) and the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited signed a letter of intent for developing 150 MW floating solar power systems for India[4].

Cooperation on the blue economy will intensify, given that both India and France have extensive shorelines. France has an 8% share of the world’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) – more than any other country. With 90% of French EEZs being in the Indo-Pacific, France is a major stakeholder in the region. India, with a coastline of over 7,400 km., has an EEZ of 2.37 million sq. km., while France with a coastline of just over 3,300 km., has an EEZ of 4.5 million sq. km. That means, France has 90% more EEZ than India with a coastline that is half its size.[5] To broaden this engagement, India and France unveiled a strategic roadmap for the blue economy on 20 February 2022. It focuses on ocean governance, marine exploration, protection, and sustainability [6] including prevention of marine plastic pollution. This is significant given the scale of impact it can achieve in the Indo-Pacific.

Biodiversity protection collaboration is also already under way. Since 2012, France’s development agency AFD has been supporting the Assam Project on Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC) which centres around natural resource conservation, community-driven participatory management of forests, and provisioning of alternate livelihoods for forest-dwelling communities^{^[7]}.

These domestic engagements have multilateral dimensions especially in adaptation and reducing the climate vulnerabilities of dependent communities. Learnings gained through India’s domestic initiatives such as Joint Forest Management Committees, Banpanchayats, and tribal welfare through the Forest Rights Act can become a replicable model of inclusive development in South and South East Asia where similar contextual circumstances prevail. India’s expertise in commercialising forest produce through value addition efforts by forest dwelling communities, is noteworthy. Establishing a leadership position in this area is crucial as India and France can provide a template for mainstreaming indigenous communities whilst achieving international commitments – such as those under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Then there is the G20, of which India will be president in 2023. Only a dozen of G20 members have made net-zero pledges in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to the Paris Agreement including France and India. However, few of the NDCs are backed by details of their activities such as carbon off-setting or delivery plans like the creation of additional carbon sinks. Here again, are several areas waiting for a robust India-France collaboration.

These are longer term solutions, but of immediate importance is climate finance, where both countries can lead and inspire their lagging G20 compatriots to action. The developed countries were to mobilise annual, replenishable financial support of $100 billion as per the pledges made under the Paris Agreement. However, they have only provided $79 billion, and so far only in one year, i.e., 2019[8].

As a leader in the technology domain, France can assist in transfer of low cost, contextualised, non-conventional energy solutions, and making them accessible for the emerging world. It can provide Indian companies access to European markets so that their projects and interventions turn greener and more sustainable with the credible financial support. Mobilising climate finance will be the biggest equaliser of global opportunities for Indian players.

Urban sustainability is an area where France can be particularly helpful to India. A majority – 80% – of France is urbanised[9] and its heritage is assimilated. A third of India’s population resides in urban areas[10] but its urbanisation process isn’t happening de-novo. Most Indian cities towns have a rich history and dynamic cultural heritage that is now embracing the new age. Urban France, with its rich cultural history, is a good model for India’s urbanisation process.

A long-term partnership on a global agenda requires trust, shared values, and a common vision. Commitments and shared actions in the recent past by India and France have all the right ingredients are in place for a lasting partnership on climate change and sustainability. With the ISA, France and India have built a robust template for international collaboration. This must be replicated in other domains for a just transition and global sustainability.

Damodar Pujari is Fellow, Climate Change, Gateway House.

This article was exclusively written for Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. You can read more exclusive content here.

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References:

[1] https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg2/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGII_FinalDraft_FullReport.pdf

[2] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspxPRID=1692975#:~:text=The%20Indo%2DFrench%20Year%20of%20the%20Environment%20over%20the%20period,renewable%20energies%20and%20energy%20efficiency

[3] https://www.pv-magazine-india.com/2021/05/19/ciel-terre-completes-14-7-mw-floating-solar-plant-in-tamil-nadu/

[4] https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/IndiaFrance21.pdf

[5] https://www.gatewayhouse.in/india-france-indo-pacific/

[6] https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/34882/INDIAFRANCE+ROADMAP+ON+THE+BLUE+ECONOMY+AND+OCEAN+GOVERNANCE

[7] https://www.eqmagpro.com/india-france-to-sign-two-agreements-during-french-ministers-5-day-visit/

[8] https://www.oecd.org/newsroom/statement-from-oecd-secretary-general-mathias-cormann-on-climate-finance-in-2019.htm