Dr. Harsh Vardhan Highlights India’s Positive Actions at Ministerial Press Conference of BASIC Countries at COP 23
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate, Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that the BASIC Joint Statement is a true reflection of joint commitment and solidarity of BASIC group and that BASIC will continue to work together to achieve the ultimate goal of addressing climate change in a manner that avoids dangerous anthropogenic interference with climate system and temperature goal. Addressing the Ministerial press conference of BASIC countries at Bonn today, Dr. Harsh Vardhan emphasised that India is here for positive and constructive actions for combating climate change. “India’s Prime Minister is amongst the thought leaders in this area and India’s commitment to climate action is second to none. He expressed sincere hope that COP 23 shall lead to balanced and positive outcome”, the Minister said.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan pointed out that India has been amongst the frontrunners in meeting its voluntary targets of reduction of emission intensity of its GDP. He underlined that India had committed to a reduction of 20% by 2020 which, he said that India will most certainly achieve. The Minister called upon both developed and developing countries to fulfill their commitment for pre-2020 period. He further voiced India’s equal commitment to achieve Nationally Determined Contribution target of reduction of energy intensity of India’s GDP by 33-35% by 2030. The Minister stated that while we are doing our bit, our strong commitment must be met by the leadership that the developed countries are supposed to provide in taking actions regarding mitigation and support in terms of finance and technologies. Dr. Harsh Vardhan also called for an early ratification of second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol and concrete actions on provisions of support. “India expects that the second commitment period is operationalized as per existing commitments. By 2020, the goal of $100 billion per year must be achieved and following the principle of non-regression and that this must improve further in following years.
The Minister also stressed the principles of equity and climate justice. He said that India’s contribution to cumulative stock of CO2 equivalent is less than 3% and therefore it is clear that India has followed remarkably, the sustainable path of development, that is consistent with traditional ethos of treating nature as divine. He highlighted that India’s tradition wisdom can serve as a beacon of life in combating climate change. In this context, he said that India would like to call upon the global community to adopt a sustainable lifestyle that alone can help us achieve objectives of keeping the global temperature rise within desirable limits. Dr. Vardhan also underscored that developed and developing countries have different circumstances and therefore differentiation between developed and developing must be factored in all decisions going forward. These decisions must adhere to principles of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDRs) and Respective Capabilities, equity and climate justice.
He said that some developments have been seen recently, such as in case of financial mechanism, where some arbitrary criteria are being introduced, which have been adopted to distinguish countries within the block of developing countries. It is not consistent with the guidance provided by the parties. This needs to be addressed immediately.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan referred to India’s positive climate actions including promotion of renewable energy, sustainable transport, afforestation policies, climate friendly agricultural practices, energy efficiency, water conservation, smart cities. He said that India is one of the few countries where, despite ongoing development, forest and tree cover has increased, transforming country’s forests into a net sink owing to national policies aimed at conservation and sustainable management of forests. As an NDC goal, India aims at creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. He also stated that India has achieved the renewable energy capacity of 60 GW and that aims to scale it up further to achieve about 40 percent of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030. Hon’ble Minister further said that India is investing in smart cities which are incorporating climate change mitigation and adaptation policies in their implementation.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan invited everyone to visit the India Pavilion at COP 23, which is a window to India’s heritage and progress, traditions and indigenous technology and also its aspirations and achievements. It also features Yoga sessions to link lifestyles with climate change.
In conclusion, Dr. Harsh Vardhan assured that India stands together with the vulnerable populations across the world and will do its utmost to protect them against impacts of climate change.
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