India suffered heavy torrential rains that caused floods and landslides across the nation's southern state of Kerala that killed at least 18 people as the country continues to make plans to fight climate change.

Authorities reported that rescuers have recovered the lifeless bodies of victims in two of the worst-hit districts of the region, Kottayam and Idukki. The two areas suffered heavy rainfall that triggered devastating landslides.

India's Zero Net Emission Plan

Both the National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Army mobilized teams to assist with rescue efforts as many are still feared to be stranded and missing. Television reports on Saturday, the start of the heavy rains, that people were wading through waters up to their chests. They were aiming to rescue passengers from a bus that was nearly fully submerged by floodwaters, KUTV reported.

On Sunday, state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged residents to exercise extreme caution despite the heavy rains subsiding. The official added that more than 100 relief camps were set up to house the residents who have been displaced.

In a statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he had spoken to the chief minister and revealed that authorities were carrying out rescue operations. "I pray for everyone's safety and well-being," the official said in a Twitter post.

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The incident comes after 2018's devastating catastrophic floods that ravaged Kerala brought about by heavy downpours from the monsoon season. The rainfall and floods killed 223 people across the region and forced hundreds of thousands of residents to leave their homes, the Associated Press reported.

The environmental devastations come as U.S. climate envoy John Kerry announced renewable energy plans with India last week. However, the official did not get clarity on how the region planned to achieve its net-zero emissions target.

Addressing Climate Change

For some time, Kerry has been working to agree on ambitious carbon reduction targets with major emitters worldwide. His efforts are part of a plan to reassert U.S. leadership on climate and how the growing threat of global warming should be prioritized.

On the other hand, China rebuffed Kerry's attempts to separate climate from other disputes, with FM Wang Yi criticizing the official's plans. However, Indian officials were optimistic about Kerry's announcement of the Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue (CAFMD). It focuses on helping the region achieve its target of 450 gigawatts (GW) worth of renewable energy.

However, authorities have not laid out how they planned to achieve their net-zero emissions target. The target means reducing a region's greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and controlling future emissions by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere with actions such as planting trees.

Previously, China, which is the world's largest carbon emitter, already committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2060. Authorities plan to peak their emissions by 2030 as their statements have been met with criticisms.

India, on the other hand, is considered the third-largest emitter in the world, and has neither announced the net-zero year nor has it submitted to the UN an updated climate plan, BBC reported.

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