India shocks COP26 climate meeting by announcing a net-zero emissions target for 2070

On Monday, India's prime minister used the COP26 climate conference to set a goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the other hand, defended his country as having kept its climate obligations "in spirit and letter" noting that his country has 17 percent of the world's population but just 5 percent of global emissions.

Modi assured other world leaders that India would boost renewable energy's contribution in its energy mix from roughly 38% last year to 50% by 2030.

India, the world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States, recently rejected proposals to set a net-zero carbon emissions target.

It stated that it was more vital for the world to spell out feasible emission reduction paths.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have established a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, at which point they will only produce greenhouse gases that can be absorbed by forests, crops, soils, and emerging "carbon capture technology."

Both China and Saudi Arabia have established 2060 targets, but critics argue that these are mostly useless without immediate action.

Modi also urged for a global push to adopt sustainable lifestyles in his speech.

"Instead of mindless and destructive consumption, we need mindful and deliberate utilization," he said, highlighting consumer choices ranging from packaging to nutrition.

"These choices, made by billions of people, can take the fight against climate change one step further," he said.