NEW DELHI: India steered clear of announcing an absolute reduction in carbon dioxide output and instead vowed to cut the emission intensity of its GDP by about a third and generate 40% of the country’s electricity from nonfossil fuels by 2030.The country’s climate action targets, known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC), were submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on Friday. Earlier at Copenhagen, India had pledged a 20-25% reduction in emission intensity by 2020. INDCs proposed by various countries will go into negotiations being carried out ahead of the Conference of Parties 21 meeting in Paris in December to forge an agreement.The agreement in Paris will seek to limit the increase in average global temperature to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. To absorb emissions, India will create an additional ‘carbon sink’ of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by expanding forest and tree cover. India estimates it will spend $2.5 trillion on its climate change actions over the next 15 years. “Our INDCs are a clarion call for climate justice,” said Prakash Javadekar , minister for environment, forests & climate change.“We will carry on our own programme for meeting the cost, but we will also factor in the financial commitment that the developed countries have promised. Sustainable development, climate justice and lifestyle changes are key to our INDCs.” The Centre for Science & Environment, a non-governmental organisation, said India’s emission intensity target is similar to China’s and its commitment on non-fossil fuel sources was more ambitious than what the US proposed. “India’s INDC is fair and is quite ambitious, specifically on renewable energy and forestry,” said Sunita Narain, directorgeneral of CSE.The minister said India is striving to work towards a low-carbon emission pathway while simultaneously striving to meet developmental challenges. “India’s INDC has been prepared in a balanced and comprehensive manner to reflect all issues of mitigation, adaptation, finance , technology transfer and capacity building,” Javadekar said. Asked how India would meet its goals while ramping up coal production, Javadekar said the component of non-fossil fuels in the energy mix will be increased. The share of non-fossil fuel in the total installed capacity is projected to rise to about 40% by 2030 from 30% in 2015. “If someone does not appreciate it, we can’t help it,” Javadekar said at a press conference.“We are clear that we will follow a cleaner energy path and have submitted what is a most ambitious and almost 15-year plan, including even a robust pre-2002 action. I have repeatedly said that the world cannot go on an action holiday from 2015 to 2020.” India has also listed efforts such as the 175 gigawatt (GW) renewable energy target by 2022 and plans to anchor a global solar alliance.“From all angles, India’s INDC is as good as China’s and better than the US’s, considering that both these countries have higher emissions than India and are economically more capable of reducing their emissions and mitigating climate change,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director-general of CSE. The Indian government is sending signals about its support for the international process and its confidence in a deal at COP, said Krishnan Pallassana, India director of the Climate Group, an environmental organisation.“The fact that India is a developing economy should not be seen as a constraint but as an opportunity to demonstrate to others how ambitious growth can be achieved through a clean industrial revolution and building a strong, low-carbon economy,” Pallassana said.