Climate Change Phenomenon Deeply Unfair, Impacts More Severely Felt By The Poor, Vulnerable: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav

New Delhi: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Thursday (September 1) said the climate change phenomenon is deeply unfair as its negative impacts are more severely felt by the poor and vulnerable, especially in the developing countries who contributed least to it. Mr. Yadav attended the G20 Joint Environment and Climate Ministers Meeting (JECMM) held at Bali, Indonesia. Speaking on the concluding day of the G20 meeting, the Union Minister underlined the need to work together for stronger recovery and resilience across the globe, leaving no one behind especially the most vulnerable sections of society. He reminded that this is at the heart of the 2030 agenda of sustainable development.

Mr. Yadav stated that sustainable recovery should also lead towards Sustainable Development Goals.

Also Read: India’s Heatwave Crisis Worsened Since 2021, Claims Greenpeace India

In his address, the Minister said,

While climate change is a global phenomenon, its negative impacts are more severely felt by the poor and vulnerable, especially in the developing countries. There is high dependence on natural resources but the capacity to cope with climate variability and extreme is limited. The climate change phenomenon is deeply unfair. Those who contributed least to it from developing countries will be most severely hit by the impact of global warming

Any initiative to address the contemporary environmental challenge should therefore be on the basis of equity and principle of Common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of the national circumstances and priorities, he said.

Mr. Yadav informed the gathering that India will assume the G20 Presidency from December 1, 2022 culminating in the G20 summit in 2023. As under the Indonesian Presidency, there shall be meetings side events, workshops, seminars, and site visits across different cities in India during G20 Presidency.

Also Read: From Suing Indian Government To Knocking Doors Of The UN, This Teenage Climate Warrior Is Calling To Save The Earth

Mr. Yadav told the gathering that while addressing the World Leaders Summit at COP 26 in November 2021, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi gave a new mantra for sustainable development that is LiFE- Lifestyle For Environment. He added,

LiFE as a global movement is needed today to move away from mindless and destructive consumption to mindful and deliberate utilisation. India’s effort towards the clean energy and energy security low carbon and efficient industrial growth, sustainable agriculture and low carbon living affirm our commitment to a transformative shift towards sustainable lifestyle for all

The Union Minister further said that there is a need to redefine prosperity to ensure an affordable, servable and sustainable lifestyle for all. He concluded by emphasising that sustainability requires coordinated action for the global commons. India stands for a ‘whole of the world’ approach that recognizes the interdependence of countries, economies and communities.

Also Read: Meet Jadav Molai Payeng, The Forest Man Of India, Who Has Been Planting Trees For The Last 43 Years

(Except for the headline, 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.

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