India and Sweden urge global community to strengthen low-carbon industrial future

Baku: India and Sweden called upon the global community to strengthen its resolve towards a low-carbon industrial future to support climate targets.

The remarks came during the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh and Swedish Minister for Climate and Environment, Romina Pourmokhtari, co-chaired the Annual Summit of the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT), held on the sidelines of COP29 to the UN Climate Change Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Kirti Vardhan Singh stressed that industrial low-carbon transition not only supports climate targets but also creates economic opportunities, jobs, and resilient communities.

“India remains committed to advancing the industry transition agenda through international cooperation and believes that, together, countries can achieve a sustainable and prosperous future” he added.

The LeadIT Summit brings together the country and company members to discuss low-carbon industrial transition.

The objective is to support plans that align heavy industry with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The summit spotlighted the critical role of transforming sectors such as steel and cement.

Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Shri K V Singh along with Swedish Environment Minister Ms. R Pourmokhtari releases five year report of Leadership Group for Industry Transition.

The Minister also emphasized the importance of collaborative public-private partnerships and North-South cooperation in fostering an inclusive, just, and sustainable transition of hard-to-abate industries.

Reflecting on LeadIT’s first five years, the Minister acknowledged the impactful progress made by members.

The India-Sweden Industry Transition Partnership launched under LeadIT 2.0 at COP 28 in 2023, a model for international cooperation, was highlighted as a key mechanism for co-developing technologies, sharing knowledge, and driving the transition of industries such as steel and cement.

A tour de table showcased insights from representatives of countries and companies on industrial low-carbon transition strategies and activities.

Selvin Hart, Special Advisor to UN Secretary General called upon the industry to be the advocates of climate commitments and be vocal about the pre-requisites for action at their end.