Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar will attend the three-day 15th African Ministerial Conference on Environment in Cairo beginning March 4. China, France and India are special invitees to the conference.
Javadekar will address the opening session of the event emphasising on India’s position on climate change particularly with reference to the 21st Conference of Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) scheduled in Paris in December. This includes its stand on the universally-accepted principle of common but differentiated responsibility besides underlining actions on reducing carbon footprints by increasing energy efficiency across sectors and making greater use of renewable energy.
Javadekar will interact with his Egyptian counterpart Khaled Fahmy bilateral cooperation in environment and coordination of India’s position with Egypt at the UNFCC talks.
Meanwhile, Javadekar acknowledged in the lok Sabha on Tuesday that national climate change missions have not achieved “expected” progress, adding that government is taking steps to speed up implementation of these programmes, since the past nine months.
There are eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) pertaining to the areas of solar, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, sustainable agriculture, sustaining Himalayan ecosystem, green India and strategic knowledge for climate change.
little over Rs4,406 crore had been spent from 2011-12 till the end of December over the eight missions against the total approved costs of Rs36,625, said Javadekar.
In the current fiscal till December 2014, about Rs2,157.8 crore was spent, higher than the expenditure of Rs802.13 crore during 2013-14, he informed. The expenses were Rs701.78 crore in 2012-13 while the same stood at Rs744.76 crore in 2011-12.
“The carbon dioxide emission intensity of Gross Domestic Product has been reduced by approximately 14 per cent in 2010 as compared to 2015 as base year at constant prices,” Javadekar said.
“Climate change is a reality. Everyone must take action. ... We are doing it (efforts) on our own commitment,” the Minister said while responding to queries on whether mandatory targets were yet to be achieved.