Text of Opening Address by Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change at the G20 Environment and Climate Ministers Meet in Chennai – EQ Mag

Excellencies,

I extend a warm welcome to all of you in this historic and vibrant city of Chennai, for the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial meeting under the Presidency of India.

Chennai, Excellencies, is not a city but a sentiment. It is a city that India is immensely proud of. And that is not without a reason. It is a place of flair, colour, creativity and history. In addition to history, Chennai offers delectable food, music, dance and cinema. The city you are in right now is a powerhouse of education, medicare, heavy engineering, automobiles, leather goods, and software.

Chennai effortlessly combines the old and the new, and pulses with life, energy, and opportunities. The city has been witnessing to the formation of the first urban corporation.

The state of Tamil Nadu, which houses Chennai, is also the land of the Chola Kings, who ruled over a large maritime empire and were masters of planned development, adapting to environmental and climatic conditions. The man-made tanks and anicuts (or dams) built almost two thousand years ago, are still in use to store and regulate water flow.

The flora, fauna and the rich coastal and marine resources of the state are a testimony to the sustainable development approach through its history.

Excellencies,

Together, we share an enormous responsibility to lead global efforts for a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future through resolute actions to tackle pressing environmental challenges and combat climate change.

I thank Hon’ble PM of India Shri Narendra Modi ji for his inspiring address and vision for a sustainable world.

Excellencies

Our Group of 20 comprises countries at different levels of development. For this reason, our developmental priorities and perspectives may differ. However, we are united by our common concern for this planet, our mother earth, and share the responsibility to protect it for the present and future generations.

We are, after all, One world and One Family with One future. We should continue to work together to overcome any differences and unite for a common vision of a sustainable and resilient world.

At the Indonesian climate and environment Ministerial Meeting in 2022, we affirmed the importance of an approach that integrates jobs, growth, and sustainability, along with equitable distribution of resources.

Now, we must further strengthen our collective understanding of pressing climate and environment challenges, and how we can lead global efforts in tackling them.

Excellencies,

We took up several new and important thematic priorities for deliberations in 2023.

For the first time in a G20 forum, we have delved into the pressing issues of forest fires and mining degraded areas as priority landscapes. Our experiences and best practices to restore them are included in Presidency documents, and these can be useful in implementing measures to achieve our target for land degradation neutrality.

We have also addressed the issue of integrated water resource management and captured best practices in the G20 in a compendium that can be a useful resource.

On the ocean agenda, we have focused on the challenges associated with developing a sustainable and resilient blue economy. We organized the second edition of the Ocean 20 Dialogue, focusing on conservation of coastal and marine ecosystems, advancing marine spatial planning, combatting marine litter and enhancing finance.

We also worked with Japan to bring out the fifth edition of the ‘G20 Report on Actions against Marine Plastic Litter’. We organized a mega beach cleanup event across several G20 and invited countries, to draw attention to the pervasive problem of marine litter.

I would like to thank all the G20 and guest countries that participated in this event which showed how we can build a mass movement of pro-planet people who support sustainable lifestyles and recognize the power of behavior change. I am happy to share that the G20 nations have agreed on a comprehensive set of principles on LiFE styles for Sustainable Development, through the Development Ministers.

We have worked on developing the ‘G20 High Level Principles for a sustainable and resilient blue or ocean-based economy’. These principles could be used on a voluntary basis as a framework for bringing sustainability into the ocean economy. The global ocean supports livelihoods of nearly three billion people.

All G20 member states are coastal states and have a serious responsibility to protect and conserve coastal and ocean resources and use them responsibly.

Our focus has also been on promoting resource efficiency and circular economy, covering sectors such as steel and topics such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Our efforts culminated in the launch of the Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Information Coalition (RECEIC) yesterday, with several industry partners.

Excellencies,

As the world’s most populous democracy and a vibrant emerging economy, India seeks to lead the global fight against climate change, together with the G20.

It is worth noting that India’s contribution to global cumulative emissions stands at less than 4 percent, and our per capita emissions are approximately one-third of the global average.

India has consistently been a source of solutions, while historically not being part of the problems. We have taken decisive domestic actions, set ambitious targets, and actively guided international efforts through various initiatives like the ISA, CDRI, Mission LiFE and International Big Cat Alliance.

Excellencies,

While we have made significant progress, we are not yet on track to reach our developmental and climate goals. We need to further our efforts in reaching our SDG targets with focus on eradication of poverty, equitable access to energy and resources, food and water security.

Collaboration among nations is crucial for tackling the complex and interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification and pollution, among others.

We look forward to the deliberations over the rest of the day, and to the release of the Presidency documents, outcome document and chairs’ summary that reflect key areas of our agreement. Our ultimate objective is to ensure universal wellbeing, and I am confident that the outcomes we adopt here today in Chennai will help generate critical momentum towards achieving this objective.

Thank you