Day one of COP26 came with arguably the most significant announcement of the conference so far: India to reach net zero by 2070. While immediate criticism was thrown at the target – which sits behind the expectation that a 2050 deadline is the only appropriate one within Paris limits – across the board pledges for 2030, along with those from other countries, have nearly knocked one degree off some projections for long-term temperature rise. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the target as part of his opening National Statement at the COP26 conference in Glasgow. His ‘gift of five elixirs’ were the following: India will increase its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030 India will fulfill 50% of…