India has embarked on far-reaching new initiatives in renewable energy, e-mobility, ethanol-blended fuels, and green hydrogen as an alternate energy source.
Addressing the ongoing COP27 – the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference, or Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change said India has responded to the call for increased ambition in the country’s 2030 climate targets, and has updated its Nationally Determined Contributions in August 2022.
It must be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced India’s aim of achieving net zero emissions by 2070 at COP26 held in Glasgow last year. The Minister said India has, within this one year, submitted its long-term low emissions growth strategy, indicating low carbon transition pathways in key economic sectors. COP27 is being held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
The Minister said India seeks to foster strong international cooperation through action and solutions-oriented coalitions like International Solar Alliance and Coalition of Disaster Resilience Infrastructure, both of which were launched and nurtured by India. “This is a testimony to our ethos of collective action for global good,” he said, while delivering India’s National Statement at COP27.
The Minister also highlighted that the country is undertaking arduous efforts to bring about desired changes to the climate change challenge. This is despite the reality that India contributes less than 4% to the world’s cumulative emissions so far, and India’s annual per capita emissions are about one-third of the global average, Yadav highlighted.
One Earth, One Family, One Future
Meanwhile, India has assumed the Presidency of the G20 in 2023 with the motto of ‘One earth, One family, One future’. Addressing a session on digital transformation at the G20 Summit in Bali earlier today, the Indian Prime Minister urged other G20 leaders to pledge that they will work together for digital inclusion over the next decade.
Yadav reiterated that our journey towards a planet safe for humanity is one that no nation can undertake alone. “This is a collective journey to be undertaken with equity and climate justice as our guiding principles,” he said, hoping that the fight against climate change will unite the world as one family.
He further stated that at the heart of India’s vision of a safe planet is a one-word Mantra – LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), which Prime Minister Modi had set forth in India’s National Statement at COP26. It was on October 20, 2022 that Prime Minister Modi launched “Mission LiFE” in the presence of Antonio Guterres, Secretary General, United Nations.
“The world urgently needs a paradigm shift from mindless and destructive consumption to mindful and deliberate utilisation. We are trustees of this planet earth. We must nurture it through sustainable lifestyles that optimise resource use and minimise waste. As the world’s most populous democracy and a vibrant emerging economy, India seeks to lead by example, and invites the global community to be a part of Mission LiFE for individual, family and community-based actions,” the Minister concluded.
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