Environment and development can be seen as two sides of one coin, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yudav said Wednesday. He reiterated that climate goals under Paris Agreement cannot been achieved without equity in climate actions. He said that nature cannot be taken as a given in his opening address at the 21st World Sustainable Development Summit. (WSDS) was organised by TERI.
Nature cannot be taken as a given. Since 2014, the government that took over from the previous one has seen our tree and forest coverage increase and our jungles become more vibrant. “The number of tigers, lions, elephants, rhinos, and other wild animals has been increasing. It is based upon such achievements that I want you to remember that environment and development are not two separate things and must be viewed together. “For development, we don’t necessarily have to dismantle or look downward upon our green assets,” the minister said in his virtual address.
The three-day summit’s theme is “Towards a resilient planet: Ensuring an equitable and sustainable future”.
Yadav stressed the need to act now in order to address global environmental challenges including climate change.
“The Paris Agreement goals can’t be achieved unless equity is implemented and all countries keep within their fair share of global carbon budget. Our goal should be equitable sustainable and fair climate action. “Only then can climate justice be achieved,” he said.
The minister said that the approach to resource utilisation must be based upon’mindful and deliberate use’, not mindless or destructive consumption. The world should adopt the LIFE (Lifestyle for the Environment) goal, which the prime minister revealed at COP26 in Glasgow. This is to protect humanity and the planet. He stated that those who have made the world go in the wrong direction must make every effort to return to the path to sustainability.
In light of the urgent need to save the environment, the minister highlighted that while the industrial revolution has brought great prosperity to countries, it has also been a huge loss to the environment. “Despite the negative effects of the (COVID-19), pandemic on India’s economy, India has actually increased its climate ambition. He stated that India is leading one the most ambitious clean energy transitions anywhere in the world. Yadav stressed the need for equity and said that the developed countries must act with ambition and fulfill their promises to reduce emissions dramatically by changing their lifestyles, as well as providing more finance and support for technology-savvy developing countries. He said that the path to development taken by most developed countries over the course of history was ruthless and that it resulted in excessive consumption of resources at home as well as in subjugated colonies. This included the destruction of forests in the colonies and the pollution of the environment all around, which was necessary for the creation and maintenance wealth and well-being. Even today, it’s the unsustainable lifestyles in developed countries that are putting all of the world at risk.
“At a time when people in developed countries were thinking about the destruction that they had caused, some even calling this an ‘inconvenient reality’, the then chief minister for Gujarat and now our dear and respected prime Minister was actually laying out the path forward with convenient actions Yadav stated.
The environment minister praised India for its efforts to tackle climate change. He said that the country is committed to following its vision of inclusive, low-carbon growth and development through its domestic policies and international cooperation. “Aside from our determined domestic actions, our vision of “One Sun, One World, and One Grid” has reached out to all countries globally as part of our pioneering International Solar Alliance.
“We have also demonstrated our commitment to adaptation through action, not just words, by establishing and promoting the “Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure”. India has not contributed to the global warming crisis. He said that our cumulative emissions are only about 4% below the pre-industrial period, even though we have around 17 percent of the world’s inhabitants.
He said that India’s per-capita annual emissions are only one-third of the global average. He also stated that India’s future will be low-carbon, with responsible use of its natural resources and a fair share of the global carbon budget.
(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff. It is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.