Developed countries need to fulfill commitments on finance and technology transfer:PM Modi

PM Modi Says, developed countries need to fulfill commitments on finance and technology transfer for successful climate actions at TERI’S World Sustainable Development Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that environmental sustainability can only be achieved through climate justice. Delivering the inaugural address at the Energy and Resources Institute’s TERI World Sustainable Development Summit this evening through video message,  Modi said, successful climate actions also need adequate financing and for this developed countries need to fulfill their commitments on finance and technology transfer. He said, sustainability requires co-ordinated action for the global commons. He said, energy requirements of the people of India are expected to nearly double in the next 20 years and denying this energy would be denying life itself to millions.

The Prime Minister said, equitable energy access to the poor has been a cornerstone of India’s environmental policies. He said, through Ujjwala Yojana, more than 90 million households have been provided access to clean cooking fuel. Modi said, under the PM-KUSUM scheme, the Government of India has taken renewable energy to the farmers. He said, environment and sustainable development have been key focus areas for him all through his 20 years in office, first in Gujarat and now at the national level. The Prime Minister said, Indians have always lived in harmony with nature and the culture, rituals, daily practices and numerous harvest festivals demonstrate the strong bonds with nature. He said, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, re-design and re-manufacture have been part of India’s cultural ethos. Modi expressed happiness that two more wetlands from India have got recognition as Ramsar sites recently. He said, India now has 49 Ramsar sites spread over more than one million hectares. The Prime Minister said, through the International Solar Alliance India’s aim is One Sun, One World, One Grid.

He said, all countries must work towards ensuring availability of clean energy from a world-wide grid everywhere at all times.  Modi said, this is the whole of the world approach that India’s values stand for. He said, his Government’s focus on chemical free natural farming will also help promote sustainability and equity. The Prime Minister said, the LED bulb distribution scheme has been running for over seven years and has helped over 220 billion units of electricity and 180 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

PM Modi said, we have heard people call our planet fragile, but it is not the planet that is fragile. He said, it is us, we are fragile and our commitments to the planet, to nature, have also been fragile. The Prime Minister said, a lot has been said over the last 50 years, since the 1972 Stockholm Conference and very little has been done. He said, but in India, we have walked the talk.

Modi said, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure CDRI aims to build strong infrastructure in areas prone to frequent natural disasters. He said, on the side-lines of CoP-26, we also launched an initiative called ‘Infrastructure for Resilient Island States. He added that the Island Developing States are the most vulnerable and hence need urgent protection.

The Prime Minister said, to these two initiatives, we now add LIFE which stands for  LIfestyle For Environment. LIFE is about making lifestyle choices to improve our planet and it will be a coalition of like-minded people across the world who will promote sustainable lifestyles. Modi mentioned 3Ps – Pro Planet People. He said, this global movement of Pro Planet People 3Ps is the Coalition for LIFE. The Prime Minister said, these three global coalitions will form the trinity of the environment efforts for improving the global commons.

The summit is TERI’s annual flagship event and the theme for this year is ‘Towards a Resilient Planet: Ensuring a Sustainable and Equitable Future’.  It is discussing a wide range of issues including climate change, sustainable production, energy transitions, global commons and resource security.

The three day summit starting today is being attended by President of  Dominican Republic Luis  Abinader, President of  Guyana Dr. Irfaan Ali, Deputy Secretary General of United Nations, Amina J Mohammed, heads of various intergovernmental organisations and Ministers and Envoys from more than a dozen countries and delegates from over 120 countries.

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