Environment Minister pitches for global public partnership to tackle Climate Change
New Delhi : Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday said the need of the hour is global public partnership to harness technology, innovation and finance to help developing countries scale up their efforts to protect nature. Addressing the US-India Business Council”s India Ideas Summit, the minister reiterated that India”s climate actions and obligations are guided by the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC)” and equity. CBDR-RC means that while all countries have an obligation to address climate change, developed countries should take a bigger share of the burden than the developing and under-developed countries. “In addressing the contemporary challenge, it is important to focus on solutions that can help us reach our goals with justice. The need of the hour is global public partnership to harness technology, innovation and finance to help developing countries scale up their efforts to protect nature,” he said.
In keeping with the core principle of sustainable development — inclusiveness and multi-stakeholder partnership — the world must continue taking special care of the most vulnerable and marginal segment of society to ensure that no one is left behind, Yadav said. The minister said the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that building a cleaner and more sustainable future has become more relevant and crucial than ever before. “But any effort to achieve this should also lead to eradication of poverty, especially in developing countries, and no one should be left behind,” he said. Addressing the summit, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said the recent IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report sends a truly urgent message: “We got to do more to address the climate crisis.” He said the world needs to take dramatic action now on global emission reduction to keep 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. Under the Paris agreement, countries agreed to limit the global average temperature rise to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and “make efforts” to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. “We need to raise our ambition to achieve Net Zero global emissions by mid-century or before. India is a critical partner in this effort. It has already made a bold statement by setting a goal of 450 gigawatt renewable energy capacity by 2030. We are committed to helping India achieve this goal,” the US leader said. Cooperation on climate and clean energy is the central pillar of the US-India relationship, he added. Last month, Kerry and Environment Minister Yadav launched the Climate Action and Finance Mobilisation Dialogue that aims to attract investment and technology in clean energy projects.
Source : PTI
