September 23, 2019
The summit reiterated the core belief that the climate crisis is caused by humans and the solutions too must also come from them
PM Shri Narendra Modi highlighted the need of a comprehensive approach to combat climate change to secure future growth
PM Narendra Modi announced that India will raise the share of non-fossil fuel energy capacity to 450GW over the coming years
India has pushed for initiatives to achieve tangible results through e-mobility, clean fuel, single-use plastic band, among others
The United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) Climate Action Summit, which concluded in New York on September 23, called upon nations to ramp up climate actions to achieve tangible results in order to combat climate change. The Climate Action Summit, hosted by UNSG António Guterresaims, aims to boost action to implement the Paris Agreement of 2015.
Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi highlighted that we need a comprehensive approach to combat climate change that covers our education, values, lifestyle and developmental philosophy whereby we are guided by our ‘need,’ not greed.
PM Narendra Modi announced that India will increase the share of non-fossil fuels to 175GW by 2022, and further increase it to 450GW. India had installed renewable power capacity of 80.6 GW at the middle of the financial year 2019-20. The government is undertaking initiatives to create a sustainable ecosystem that reduces the use of non-renewable sources of energy. For instance:-
Promoting e-mobility and use of cleaner fuel in the Transport sector
One of the focus areas will be the transport sector that is to be made green through e-mobility. India is also working to increase the proportion of the biofuel blend in petrol and diesel.
Switching to greener fuel options for Domestic Consumption
India is also focussing on the use of compressed biogas. 150 million families have been provided with clean cooking gas which contributes to improving the health of the environment, women and children.
Harnessing naturally available rainwater and undertaking water conservation
On Independence Day this year, PM Narendra Modi talked about the ambitious ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ for water conservation, rainwater harvesting and for the development of water resources. Nearly US$ 50 billion are to be spent on this project in the next few years.
Giving up single-use plastic
Also, a people’s movement is building up in the country to end the use of single-use plastic. They are non-biodegradable and add to the volume of waste produced.
All these initiatives are in line with the objectives of the Climate Action Summit. The Summit brought together governments, the private sector, civil society, local authorities and other international organizations to develop ambitious solutions in actionable areas to achieve the goal set by the Paris Agreement of 2015.