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Climate change is already affecting the entire world, with extreme weather conditions such as drought, heat waves, heavy rain, floods and landslides becoming more frequent, including in Europe. Other consequences of the rapidly changing climate include rising sea levels, ocean acidification and loss of biodiversity.

In order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a threshold the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) suggests is safe, carbon neutrality by mid-21st century is essential. This target is also laid down in the Paris agreement signed by 195 countries.

The UK and France have, by legislation, decided to become net carbon neutral by 2050. The EU, too, is moving in that direction.

Carbon Dioxide is an invisible, odourless and cumulative gas that stays in the atmosphere for centuries.

While the carbon cycle is essential for life, beyond a certain concentration - it needs to be recognized as pollution because it causes undesirable heat-trapping effects that can produce regenerative feedback heating effects on the Earth ecosystem, beyond which, even the best of human efforts may not be adequate to reverse the slide.

Thus, it can challenge the very survival of human species. Environmental Degradation and Climate Change are fast becoming global security issues and most nations are now finally waking up to the dangers.

India is known to be one of the disaster-prone countries in the .world and its economy, health and security will be hugely affected by Climate Change. Being a tropical country, it will be severely affected at many levels through unpredictable weather events and flooding, frequent long droughts, rise in sea level and shortage of potable water. With frequent heat waves and steady loss of ecosystems, India is recognized as one of the most vulnerable countries to Climate Change in the World.

Majority of the Indian population still occupies rural areas that directly depend on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, forests, and fisheries. These sectors are heavily dependent on natural resources such as water, biodiversity, mangroves, coastal zones, and grasslands.

With increasing intensity and frequency of climatic disasters and changing weather patterns, the Indian cities too will face considerable stress. Climate Change will also have adverse impacts on food production, water supply, biodiversity, livelihoods and even national security for India.

India has put forth some of the most ambitious climate targets at the Paris Conference. India is committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33-35% below 2005 level by 2030. India is also committed to achieving 40% of installed electric power capacity from ‘'non-fossil fuel'’ energy sources like solar, wind and biomass by 2030.

Yet another important commitment is to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO2 sequestration capacity through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. The nation aims to adopt a more climate-friendly and cleaner path to achieve economic development than any country in the past. It needs to simultaneously balance - expanding electricity access and achieving its climate target.

India needs to drastically reduce GHG emissions by reducing Carbon Footprint at the individual, community and organizational level and by implementing better Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Policies. India has also decided to rapidly shift to e-mobility across all segments by 2030..

It is time for India to move on to achieving net carbon neutrality. From the outset, India'’s position on climate change has emphasised the per capita principle; on grounds of equity, every human being should have the same right to emit carbon dioxide.

Further, India would pursue a low carbon growth trajectory in relation to industrialised countries and ensure that its per capita emissions does not exceed theirs. Now that developed countries are aiming to achieve zero per capita carbon emission by 2050, by extrapolation, India'’s position should be that it would also achieve this around the same time.

India has shown leadership in facilitating the Paris agreement, and making what then appeared a highly ambitious voluntary national commitment. This was followed by setting up the International Solar Alliance.

The National Solar Mission was launched in 2010 with the target of generating 20,000 MW of solar power by 2020-22. This has already been achieved, and the goal is not to set up 100,000 MW of solar power by 2022 is now there. India would take renewable energy capacity to 450,000 MW.

India is aiming to achieve which one of the following?

A) Its per capital carbon emission does not exceed that of the developed world.

B) Its per capital carbon emission is to remain lowest in Asia

C) Its per capita carbon emission should be the lowest in the next ten years

D) Its per capita carbon emission decreases by half every five years.