Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar is set to represent the country at the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon’s summit on climate change in New York on September 23. The Minister will highlight the country’s clean energy initiatives besides stress on the issue of green climate fund from developed nations which is yet to materialise.
The Minister said that UN climate convention requires developed countries with much greater historical responsibility to take the lead in fighting climate change and to provide resources to the poor countries to also act keeping their development priorities in mind. Germany has however initiated action in this regard which has been appreciated
He further said that the country would hold bi-lateral discussions with various countries on new age clean energy mechanisms which India has already started in the processes of Ganges cleaning, solid waste management, energy generation from waste etc.
India and China have volunteered targets for emission reductions in 2010 and they shall do more under the 2015 agreement, but the basic principles such as equity cannot be done away with when responsibility is shared, he said.
He will also attend meeting of the Major Economies Forum in September 21-22 in New York. The Minister will also attend the high level summit of the Minamata Convention on September 24 at New York.
He will sign on behalf of India to finally ratify the international agreement regulating the use of the chemical, Mercury. More than 100 countries have already ratified the convention since 2013, but India has held out so far coming in for some criticism.
The Minister also spoke of enhancing norms for petrol and diesel pollution. which has more than doubled during the last 10 years, and was expected to keep rising, hence it was necessary to tighten the environmental norms. While initial norms for diesel vehicles were less stringent, now the price differential between petrol and diesel is not there, said the Minister.