India has promised to exceed its Paris Agreement targets: PM Modi
Jan 25, 2021
New Delhi [India], January 25 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India has promised to not just "meet our Paris Agreement targets but exceed them".
Speaking at the Climate Adaptation Summit 2021, PM Modi said that India will not only create new capacities "but make them an agent for global good".
"Climate adaptation is more significant today than ever before and it is a key element for India's development efforts. We have promised ourselves that we will not just meet our Paris Agreement targets but exceed them. We will not just arrest environmental degradation but reverse it and we will not just create new capacities but make them an agent for global good," he said.
Emphasising India's commitment to the environment, he said that multiple initiatives have been launched such as targeting 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
"We are promoting LED lights and saving 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. We are going to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. We are providing clean cooking fuel to 80 million households. We are connecting 64 million households to piped water supply and our initiatives have not been restricted to India alone," he said.
He said that the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) shows the power of global climate partnership.
The Prime Minister also said Indian civilisation values teach us the importance of living in harmony with nature.
"Our ancient scriptures -- Yajurveda -- teaches us that our relationship with our planet earth is that of a mother and her child. If we take care of mother earth she will continue to nurture us to adapt to climate change. Our lifestyle must also adapt to the ideal. This sentiment should guide our way forward," he said.
During the meeting, he called upon the Global Commission on Adaptation to work with CDRI to enhance infrastructure resilience globally.
"I invite everyone to the 3rd International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure later this year in India," he added.
