India believes in growth but committed to environment: Narendra Modi

PM Narendra Modi was addressing over 200 delegates at the World Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi on Friday. File photo: Reuters

New Delhi: Stressing on India’s long-standing demand for finance and technology from developed nations to tackle climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that “successful climate action needs access to financial resources and technology” and that technology can help countries like India develop sustainably.

“As a nation, we are proud of our long history and tradition of harmonious co-existence between man and nature. Respect for nature is an integral part of our value system. Our traditional practices contribute to a sustainable lifestyle,” Modi said while speaking at the World Sustainable Development Summit on Friday morning.

“While we are doing everything that is required of us, we expect that others also join in to fulfil their commitments based on Common but Differentiated Responsibility and equity,” he added.

The prime minister said, “India believes in growth but is also committed to protecting the environment” and is on track to meet the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution targets. (http://www.livemint.com/Politics/ZD2z2vwZktGNlzhrLujmyO/India-unveils-emission-targets-for-2030-in-UN-climate-submis.html )

Modi highlighted that recently the National Geographic’s Greendex Report of 2014, which assesses the environmental sustainability of consumer choice, ranked India at the top for its greenest consumption pattern.

Interestingly, in January 2018, a biennial report by the Yale and Columbia Universities, along with the World Economic Forum (WEF), had ranked India among the bottom five countries on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2018. The report was released on the sidelines of the WEF in Davos, Switzerland.

Modi also lauded India’s efforts to stitch together the International Solar Alliance, stating that it already has 120 members and is “perhaps the single most important global achievement after Paris” (Climate Agreement). He highlighted that India is already the fifth largest producer of solar energy in the world and the sixth largest producer of renewable energy.

He said the world should also stress on climate justice for all vulnerable populations.

“India is one sixth of the global community. Our development needs are enormous. Our poverty or prosperity will have direct impact on the global poverty or prosperity. People in India have waited too long for access to modern amenities and means of development. We have committed to complete this task sooner than anticipated. However, we have also said that we will do all this in a cleaner and greener way,” Modi emphasised.