India is going to increase the share of non-fossil fuels to 175 GW by 2022, and will further take it to 450 GW: Prime Minister

World leaders have gathered in New York today for the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Climate Action Summit. The Summit is being called by UNSG Mr. António Guterres to ramp up climate actions worldwide. Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi stated “We must accept that if we have to overcome a serious challenge like climate change, then what we are doing at the moment is just not enough; what is needed today, is a comprehensive approach which covers everything from education to values, and from lifestyle to developmental philosophy” as per information available from PIB.

Bringing attention towards India’s efforts in always following a climate sensitive sustainable development pathway by mainstreaming climate change concerns in development policies, Shri Narendra Modi stated “Need, not greed has been our guiding principle. PM expressed that an ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of preaching. “In India, we are going to increase the share of non-fossil fuels to 175GW by 2022, and to further increase it to 450GW”, announced Shri Narendra Modi.

“We have launched the Jal Jeevan mission for water conservation, rainwater harvesting and for the development of water resources. India is going to spend approximately 50 billion dollars on this in the next few years”,the Prime Minister further informed the gathering.

Prime Minister further said that on the occasion of India’s 73rdIndependence Day, we have called for a people’s movement to end the menace of single use plastic. PM expressed hope that this will create an awareness at a global level about the harmful effects of single use plastic.

“On the International forum, almost 80 countries have joined our International Solar Alliance campaign. In order to make our infrastructure disaster resilient, India is launching a Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.”, the PM invited UN Member states to join this coalition.

Earlierin his thought-provoking opening remarks the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres shed light on the significance of science and technology and its use as a powerful tool in combating climate change. “The climate crisis is caused by us and the solutions must come from us. We have the tools, technology is on our side, readily available technological substitutions already exists for more than 70% of today’s emissions”, said Mr. Guterres .

Having the key focus on raising ambition and accelerate action to implement the Paris Agreement, the Climate Action Summit focuses on nine interdependent tracks, which are led by 19 countries in total and are supported by international organizations. The Summit has brought together governments, private sector, civil society, local authorities and other international organizations to develop ambitious solutions in actionable areas. The Secretary-General has also prioritized a number of action portfolios. The key areas identified are the following:

· Finance: mobilizing public and private sources of finance to drive decarbonization of all priority sectors and advance resilience;

· Energy Transition: accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy, as well as making significant gains in energy efficiency;

· Industry Transition: transforming industries such as oil and gas, steel, cement, chemicals and information technology;

· Nature-Based Solutions: reducing emissions, increasing sink capacity and enhancing resilience within and across forestry, agriculture, oceans and food systems, including through biodiversity conservation, leveraging supply chains and technology;

· Cities and Local Action: advancing mitigation and resilience at urban and local levels, with a focus on new commitments on low-emission buildings, mass transport and urban infrastructure; and resilience for the urban poor;

· Resilience and Adaptation: advancing global efforts to address and manage the impacts and risks of climate change, particularly in those communities and nations most vulnerable.

· Mitigation Strategy: to generate momentum for ambitious NDCs and longterm strategies to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.

· Youth Engagement and Public Mobilization: to mobilize people worldwide to take action on climate change and ensure that young people are integrated and represented across all aspects of the Summit, including the six transformational areas.

· Social and Political Drivers: to advance commitments in areas that affect people’s well-being, such as reducing air pollution, generating decent jobs, and strengthening climate adaptation strategies and protect workers and vulnerable groups.

It is noteworthy to point that India along with Sweden, supported by World Economic Forum is leading the ‘Industry Transition’ track meeting.India and Sweden together with other partners are launching the Leadership group within the Industry transition track. This initiative will provide a platform for governments and the private sector with opportunities for cooperation in the area of Technology innovation. This will help to develop low carbon pathways for industry.