‘West needs to shoulder climate change burden,’ says Union minister Bhupender Yadav at CU event

Chandigarh University organised a two-day international conference on ‘Environmental Diversity & Environmental Jurisprudence: National & International Perspective’ at its Gharuan campus, which saw the participation of Vice-President of India M Venkaiah Naidu and the Union minister for environment, forests and climate change Bhupender Yadav.

The event, which was inaugurated by Naidu on Saturday, was aimed to formulate the roadmap and the country’s efforts at attaining global targets for environment protection and climate change.

Speaking on the Day 2 of the occasion, Yadav underlined India’s role in leading the fight for environmental protection. Highlighting the fact that developing countries like India contribute the least to global carbon emissions, he pressed for western industrialised nations to shoulder the bulk of the financial burden for combating climate change.

Yadav said striking a balance between development and pollution-free environment was the need of the hour, and pointed out how India’s development philosophy of ‘development without destruction’ has put biodiversity conservation as a top priority in all sectors of economic development.

Further detailing the efforts being made to preserve biodiversity, Yadav said, “We have 2.75 lakh biodiversity management committees across villages and local bodies, who document and manage its biodiversity in the form of people’s biodiversity register (PBR).”

“We are currently implementing the National Clean Air Plan which aims to clean up India’s air. To combat pollution, especially in Delhi NCR and other adjoining states, air quality management has been brought under the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021. A commission as the sole authority with jurisdiction over air quality management in the region is to be set up,” he added.

In his presidential address, Justice Kaul said all global players needed to focus on ensuring environmental laws are followed in letter and spirit.

“We have violated the environment and that has caused the degradation. Time has come that we join hands to combat this, instead of shifting blame. We have a long history of destroying nature in the name of progress. We cannot change the past, but our present efforts will ensure the future,” he added.

Supreme Court of India justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, United Nation resident commissioner in India Shombi Sharp, Himachal Pradesh high court chief justice Mohammad Rafiq and representatives from 20 countries including judges, high commissioners, ambassadors, environmentalists, experts in biodiversity and environmental jurisprudence and 4,000 students participated in the conference.