New Delhi: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted India’s contribution to climate action in an article and said that everyone needs to make peace with nature, reduce our carbon footprints, and have a lifestyle that is compatible with a sustainable society and economy. The UN Chief, who came to India in October to launch a major national and global initiative ‘Mission LiFE’ (Lifestyle for Environment), writes in his article that this initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will mobilize citizens from all over world to understand that they have a role to play.
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Talking about climate change, Mr Guterres wrote,
We, presently, are consuming much more than the planet can produce. We are using 1.6 planets every year which is not sustainable. We need to think about how we behave, what we eat, and how can we recycle things and avoid waste. We need to understand that without the individual behaviour of each person is compatible with a sustainable society, there is not much that the Governments can do to reduce pollution.
Let us not forget that today pollution is killing seven million people per year. So, we need to understand that pollution is a killer, it is not just ugly, he further added.
In the article, UN Chief also said that with the biodiversity loss, the countries are losing a fantastic capital for the future; some of the medicines will probably never be available for the basic needs of the population.
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During his official visit to India, the UN chief also visited India’s first 24×7 solar-powered village Modhera in Gujarat. Highlighting the benefits of project, Mr Guterres said,
The gigantic project of India (commitment to achieve 500 GW renewable energy generation by 2030) is a very important contribution to climate action.
“There was a very symbolic nature to my visit to the village close to the temple of Sun (Surya Mandir in Modhera). It is not only the investment made by the Government; it is the way the community came together which is commendable. You have villages where every house has some solar panels in which there is a link between the use of clean energy and the well-being of the families and of the community, the way the school works much better, the way people have more money to spend on other things or to create their savings,” he added.
UN Chief further wrote that the solar project is a remarkable one of inclusivity and solidarity and very much in line with what the UN has presented in its Agenda 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to eradicate poverty, and improve living conditions for everybody, everywhere.
And so, this is an exceptionally relevant contribution to climate action to defeat climate change. There is a sense of community, solidarity, and inclusivity that is a lesson for the world.
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(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.
