Sapporo: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday (April 15) said the global goal of reaching net zero by 2050 requires enhanced descaling of emissions by developed countries. The minister 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. The minister was addressing a plenary session at G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment in Sapporo, Japan.
The Union Environment Minister said the IPCC AR 6 Report reemphasises that development is our first defence against climate change, according to a release issued by the Union Environment Ministry. The Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the sixth in a series of reports which assess scientific, technical, and socio-economic information concerning 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, Minister Yadav said.
According to Minister Yadav, since the advent of the industrial revolution, there has been enormous disproportionate emission of Green House Gases (GHGs) to achieve economic growth and development. He said the 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.
The minister said that to save the 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, and 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, as per the official release.
Union Minister 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.
Minister 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.
Also Read: COP27: Cities With Net Zero Promises Falling Short On Tracking, Report Says
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
