Developed countries must take lead in drastic emission reduction

India has made significant progress in its commitment to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030: Yadav

New Delhi: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav asked the developed countries to take the lead in drastic emission reduction, as their responsibility for global warming is the highest both historically and in the present.

“Protecting both people and the planet will not be possible without the developed countries taking the lead in drastic emissions reduction, as their responsibility for global warming is the highest both historically and in the present” the Minister said, while addressing the opening plenary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Conference of Parties at its fifteenth session in Cote d’Ivoire.

Speaking about the effects of the COVID pandemic, the Environment Minister stated that it has compounded the challenge of fighting global warming as economic pressures have delayed or slowed climate action across the world.

 The Minister also pointed out the finding of the IPCC Report of the Third Working Group,  and said  the world exhausting its remaining carbon budget at a rapid pace, pushing us closer to the temperature limits of the Paris Agreement.

Speaking on India’s presidency of the COP since 2019,  Yadav informed that during the COP Presidency under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has made significant progress in its commitment to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

The Minister further stated that India has enhanced monitoring the health of its soils through the Soil Health Card Programme implemented throughout the country.

“Over 229 million Soil Health Cards have been issued to farmers between 2015 and 2019 and this program has led to a decline of 8-10% in the use of chemical fertilizers and also raised productivity by 5-6%.”, said Yadav

Further informing about the significant actions done under India’s presidency, Yadav said that following the global call for the submission of nominations for World Restoration Flagships, the Government of India endorsed six restoration flagships that target the restoration of 12.5 million hectares of degraded lands.

The fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) began at Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 9 to 20 May 2022, will bring together leaders from governments, the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders from around the world to drive progress in the future sustainable management of land and will explore links between land and other key sustainability issues.

Drought, land restoration, and related enablers such as land rights, gender equality and youth empowerment are among the top items on the Conference agenda. Through its decisions adopted by UNCCD’s 197 Parties, COP15 is expected to galvanize sustainable solutions for land restoration and drought resilience, with a strong focus on future-proofing land use.