Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a radical shift in the global approach towards climate change and said the focus should not only remain on emission cuts but it should move to efforts made for clean energy generation and conservation.
The Prime Minister (PM) was clearly trying to highlight measures taken by India to produce cleaner energy in the midst of mounting pressure by developed nations to bring down emissions.
Asking the international community to shift from “carbon credit” towards “green credit”, Modi singled out solar energy, saying it needs to be integrated with a hybrid system of energy to make it useful.
Modi called for setting up of a consortium of nations with potential in solar energy and said they could join hands with India in innovation and cutting-edge research that would reduce the cost of solar energy, making it more accessible to the people.
Chairing the first meeting of the reconstituted Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change here, Modi said that “instead of focusing on emissions and cuts alone, focus should shift to what we have done for clean energy generation, energy conservation and energy efficiency and what more can be done in these areas,” a PMO statement said.
He called for a careful evaluation of all the initiatives that have been taken by India in this regard. These include initiatives in solar energy, wind energy, biomass energy and transportation projects that have reduced distances or travel times.
Modi said India saw the global concern and awareness on Climate Change as a great opportunity for working towards improving the quality of life of its citizens and making a positive contribution for mankind.
He also directed ministries to prepare a concept note on uncovered areas like health, urban waste management, coastal areas and wind energy, while dealing with climate change as these are not covered under the ongoing missions.
“The ministries concerned have been asked to work on these new areas and prepare a concept note in the next four to five months. Once the concept is finalized, the funds will be allocated accordingly,” a source said.
Modi asked the ministries to ensure the existing eight missions run in a more focused manner and deliver the results. These include missions on solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem, green India, sustainable agriculture, and strategic knowledge for climate change.
“I think this was a good start. I hope further interactions will happen. ...We discussed a wide range of subjects. ...Members also gave suggestions,” Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters after the meeting.
The Prime Minister guided the deliberations and said India should look to this problem as an opportunity to act more vigorously and at the same time project the country’s contribution effectively to the world, he added.
The 18-member panel meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, and Power Minister Piyush Goyal. The meeting was also attended by TERI chief RK Pachauri, economist Nitin Desai and retired diplomat Chandrasekhar Dasgupta and other members of the council.