India's EPR framework may be adopted by other G20 countries

India's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy, which seeks to enforce a circular economy on producers of plastic, was discussed as a model initiative at the concluding day of the first meeting of G20's Environment Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting on Saturday.

Briefing the media on the deliberations in the meeting, Secretary, Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Leena Nandan said the robust ecosystem envisioned in the EPR rules to initiate a circular economy was appreciated by the member countries.

"From waste collection to aggregation, recycling as well as the production of EPR certificate, which is mandatory for the producer to generate (plastic), the value chain we have brought in was shared with other countries, who shared best practices they had initiated," she said, adding that about 1500 recycling firms and more than 4000 producers, importers and brand owners were on the platform.

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The MoEF secretary said the EPR will be extended to other polluting products beyond plastic. "In 2022, we issued rules for different categories: plastic, waste, tyres, batteries and electronic waste and solar panels," she said and added that the EPR regime will come into force in other sectors in the coming days.

M Ravichandran, secretary, the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said the third day of the meeting was focused on the blue economy, considering the importance of the oceans for all the G20 countries. He said discussions were held on both conserving the oceans and implementing best practices while harnessing water, food and energy from the oceans.

Methane, not part of G20 discussions

India on Saturday said the G20 working group on environment and climate change would not take up methane pollution and its role in global warming, considering the livelihood aspects of the populations.

The G20 emissions account for about 80 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions and methane, which is said to be 80 per cent more potent at warming than CO2, is not part of the emission reduction targets promised by countries at the COP26 summit.

MoEF officials said methane has not been taken up at the G20's deliberations while pointing out that reducing methane was not part of NDCs. Officials said the government recognises an opportunity in high emitting sectors like energy and not from agriculture which is directly tied to livelihood.

Climate finance: quantum to be known in 2024

The revised quantum of financing required by the developing countries, including that of India, for energy transition and climate adaptation measures would be known by the end of 2024.

The rich countries have so far failed to provide the $100 billion/annum that was fixed for the years before 2020. Officials from MoEF&CC said a standing committee was looking into the matter.

"A standing committee is assessing how much of that initial goal could be realised. However, there are new estimates where the finance requirements are running into trillions (of dollars). The world has come together through the COP mechanism to work on a new collective quantified goal on climate finance. That estimate is being deliberated now. We will have a number only around the end of 2024," she said.