Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that countries of the Global South are facing the “brunt” of Climate Change and stressed the need to enhance action on commitments under the ‘UN Climate Convention’ and the ‘Paris Agreement
Addressed the G20 Environment and Climate Ministers’ Meet in Chennai via video message PM Modi said, these climate actions are crucial in helping the Global South fulfill its developmental aspirations in a climate-friendly way.
“Climate Action must follow ‘Antyodaya’ which means ensuring the rise and development of the last person in the society” he added.
Emphasizing the global responsibility to protect the Earth, the prime minister said climate action was a fundamental duty that had been ignored for too long. He said that protecting and caring for Mother Earth is our fundamental responsibility and today, it has taken the shape of ‘Climate Action’ as this duty was ignored by many for a very long time.
Highliting the India’s achievement in the installed electric capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, he said India achieved the target 9 years ahead of 2030 and now setting the bar even higher through updated targets.
He also mentioned that today India is one of the top 5 countries in the world, in terms of installed renewable energy capacity and informed that the country has set a target of attaining ‘Net Zero’ by 2070.
Mr Modi expressed optimism as India continues to collaborate with its partners through alliances including International Solar Alliance, CDRI, and the ‘Leadership Group for Industry Transition’.
Referring to the ‘Small Island States’ as ‘Large Ocean Countries’, the Prime Minister said that the oceans are a crucial economic resource for them while also supporting the livelihoods of over three billion people across the globe.
He said that it is home to extensive biodiversity and stressed the importance of responsible use and management of oceanic resources.
The Prime Minister expressed optimism for the adoption of ‘G20 High Level Principles for a Sustainable and Resilient Blue and Ocean-based Economy’ and called on the G20 to work constructively for an effective international legally-binding instrument to end plastic pollution.
Highlighliting the consistent actions taken on biodiversity conservation, PM Modi said the recently launched ‘International Big Cat Alliance’ for the conservation of seven big cats on the planet and credited the learnings of the ‘Project Tiger’, a pioneering conservation initiative.
He informed that 70 percent of the world’s tigers are found in India today as a result of Project Tiger and work being underway on Project Lion and Project Dolphin.
Referring to the 75 wetlands designated as Ramsar sites in wetland conservation, the Prime Minister said that India has the largest network of Ramsar sites in Asia.
He also touched upon ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign which has led to the construction of more than 280,000 water harvesting structures to conserve water along with the construction of nearly 250,000 re-use and recharge structures.
