India exceeding Paris agreement targets: PM Modi at G20 summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that India was not only meeting the targets of the Paris agreement on Climate Change but also exceeding them. Speaking at the G-20 Summit held via video conferencing, the PM emphasised that while the world was currently fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, it was “equally important to fight climate change in an integrated, comprehensive and holistic way”.

“Today we are focused on saving our citizens, economies from the effects of the global pandemic. It is equally important to keep our focus on fighting climate change. Climate change must be fought not in silos but in an integrated, comprehensive and holistic way,” PM Modi said.

Recounting the steps taken by India for clean climate, he said, “We have made LED lights popular. This saves 38 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. Smoke free kitchens have been provided to over 80 million households through our Ujjwala Scheme. This is among the largest clean energy drives globally.”

Climate change, he said, must be fought not in silos but in an integrated, comprehensive and holistic way. “Inspired by our traditional ethos of living in harmony with the environment, and the commitment of my government, India has adopted low-carbon and climate-resilient development practices,” PM Modi said.

Giving details about the efforts made by his government, he pointed out the campaign to eliminate single-use plastics. “Our forest cover is expanding; The lion and tiger population is increasing; We aim to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030; And, we are encouraging a circular economy.”

India is making next-generation infrastructure such as metro networks, water-ways and more, he said. In addition to convenience and efficiency, they will also contribute to a cleaner environment.

The Prime Minister said that India aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by the year 2030 and added that “we are encouraging a circular economy”.

He assured that India would meet its goal of 175 Giga Watts of renewable energy well before the target of 2022. “Now, we are taking a big step ahead by seeking to achieve 450 Giga Watts by 2030.”

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is among the fastest growing International Organisations, with 88 signatories. With plans to mobilise billions of dollars, train thousands of stakeholders, and promote research and development in renewable energy, the ISA will contribute to reducing carbon foot-print.

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)-18 countries—including 9 from among the G20 and 4 international organisations—has already started work on increasing resilience of critical infrastructure to prevent damage during natural disasters.

This is the best time for further increasing research and innovation in new and sustainable technologies, the Prime Minister said. “We should do so with a spirit of cooperation and collaboration. The entire world can progress faster if there is greater support of technology and finance to the developing world.”

For humanity to prosper, every single individual must prosper, PM Modi said. Rather than seeing labour as a factor of production alone, the focus must be on the human dignity of every worker. Such an approach would be the best guarantee for safeguarding our planet, he added.

The Prime Minister had also termed the Covid-19 pandemic as an important turning point in the history of humanity and the biggest challenge the world is facing since World War II.

The G20 Summit also saw the participation of heads of state or government of 19 member countries, the European Union, other invited countries and international organisations like the UN, IMF, FATF, OECD.

WITH AGENCY INPUTS