Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav said the IPCC AR 6 Report reemphasises that development is our first defence against climate change. The Report reinforces the scientific view that CO2 is the primary GHG that needs to be drastically reduced to achieve the global temperature goal as agreed in the Paris Agreement. Addressing the Plenary Session at G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment in Sapporo, Japan he said the global goal of reaching net zero by 2050 requires enhanced descaling of emissions by the Developed Countries. He said this will provide space for countries like India to achieve the development required for its people, which will provide necessary defence against the impacts of climate change, environmental degradation and pollution.
Shri Yadav said since the advent of Industrial Revolution, there has been enormous disproportionate emission of GHGs to achieve economic growth and development. He said over-exploitation of natural resources has also led to widespread environmental degradation. This has come at the cost of altering the balance of nature, putting at serious risk the existence of Planet Earth, he added.
Shri Yadav said to save our planet from the challenges of climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity, we need collective action guided by the founding principles of the Rio Conventions. He said we have made some progress collectively through the process of UNFCCC, CBD, UNCCD. However, there is an urgent need for greater action to deal with the three challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, he added.
The Union Minister said developing Countries also need the means of implementation, finance and technology. He said we do hope that the Developed Countries will make good their commitments on finance for combatting climate change and provide for the same for dealing with the environmental degradation and biodiversity loss.
Shri Yadav said reaching targets on carbon neutrality and increased ambition will not fly unless they are made keeping Equity and CBDR-RC consideration in view as well as unless the Developed Countries meet their commitments to provide means of implementation.
Shri Yadav said our actions have so far focused on creating a policy framework to combat climate change. It is time that governments across the world focus on making this a participative process at the level of individuals.
The Union Minister said individual actions have the potential of a revolution. At COP 27 in Sharm el Sheikh, the importance of sustainable lifestyles and sustainable patterns of consumption and production to combat climate change was underscored.
Shri Yadav requested all countries around the table to take lead in setting an example for the world in the collective fight against climate change, environmental degradation and pollution, by focusing on nudging of individual behaviour in the spirit of Mission LiFE, by making the shift to Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE).
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