Felix flew into the Mystical dorm room and landed in front of Verum. His cheeks were flushed with excitement and the speed at which he had flown. Felix said, “Verum, have you heard of the ‘No New Coal Power Compact’?”
“Not really,” said Verum, “Let me see what my crystal ball knows about this.”
“Oh, it’s a new initiative launched on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last Friday,” said Verum, “The countries who join will have to stop the construction of new coal-fired power plants within a year. Countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sri Lanka, Denmark, Chile, and Montenegro launched the initiative.”
“That’s a much-needed step,” said Felix, “It’s through these measures that the world can keep the Paris Climate Agreement’s 1.5°C global warming target ‘within reach’. And that’s how humans can fight climate change.”
“You’re right, Felix,” said Verum, “But this step isn’t possible for many countries as of now. Coal is an important source of energy and many people depend on it. Nonetheless, it is important to make the shift towards renewable energy sources. Take India for instance.”
“What about India?” said Felix.
“Even though India as a country is not in a position to halt the development of new coal-fired power plants, some of its states are pushing for renewable energy,” explained Verum, “States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar and the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh are working towards a carbon-neutral future. Carbon neutrality is when the emissions of carbon dioxide are balanced with its absorption.”
“And how are these states undertaking this step?” said Felix.
“Well, Gujarat has decided to depend solely on renewable energy to meet all future power requirements. According to Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI) and Climate Trends, the use of coal in power generation will come down to 16% from about 63% by 2030,” answered Verum, “It’s also building the world’s largest grid-scale battery storage in the Kutch region.”
“As for Bihar, it has started developing a low carbon pathway which will be ready by 2040,” added Verum, “And Ladakh is working towards developing more energy through solar and wind power.”
“This makes me hopeful,” said Felix.