New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar Tuesday said he had an “engaging and fruitful discussion” with US climate envoy John Kerry, who is on a three-day visit to India.
Kerry is in India as part of his three-nation tour ahead of US President Joe Biden’s virtual ‘Leaders Summit on Climate’ to be held with 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 22 and 23 April.
Javadekar posted a tweet following the meeting Tuesday. “We discussed a range of issues including #ClimateFinance, joint research and collaboration etc,” he said.
Had an engaging and fruitful discussion with Mr. @JohnKerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.
We discussed a range of issues including #ClimateFinance, joint research and collaboration etc.@PMOIndia @ClimateEnvoy @UNFCCC pic.twitter.com/SaIij2bCz2
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) April 6, 2021
The US government had said in a statement that the meeting would involve “consultations on increasing climate ambitions”, ahead of two significant climate conferences — Biden’s leaders summit and the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, scheduled to be held on November this year.
Kerry has been calling on 20 countries, including India, which account for 81 per cent of global emissions, to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
As part of the Paris Agreement, India has pledged to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent below 2005 levels by the year 2030.
Why Kerry is in India
Kerry is in India until 8 April and is also expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India is the second stop for Kerry, who visited the UAE from 1-5 April, and will go to Bangladesh for similar talks on climate change.
His visit precedes the Leaders Summit organised by President Biden, which seeks to “galvanise efforts by the major economies to tackle the climate crisis”. It will also “underscore the urgency — and the economic benefits — of stronger climate action”, according to a statement by White House
The summit is said to be a “key milestone” before the COP26, which is to be held in November this year and where countries are expected to commit to further reductions in emissions.
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