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HT Environment Conclave: Sustainable lifestyle must to achieve climate goals, says Bhupender Yadav
India’s journey on the low-carbon pathway towards “net-zero” requires active participation of all stakeholders, and sustainable lifestyles as well as climate justice are the principles at the core of this journey, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said at the HT Environment Conclave.
India’s journey on the low-carbon pathway towards “net-zero” requires active participation of all stakeholders, and sustainable lifestyles as well as climate justice are the principles at the core of this journey, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said at the HT Environment Conclave.
To this effect, Yadav said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already spoken of a new dimension – of L.I.F.E. or Lifestyle for the Environment. “This is a vision of development that is based on ‘Mindful and Deliberate Utilisation’ and not ‘Mindless and Destructive Consumption’ – a vision of sustainable production and consumption,” he said.
“To realise this vision, we need a global movement that is ‘Pro-Planet-People’... The Covid-19 pandemic has interrupted growth and development across the entire world. Aatmanirbhar Bharat is not only a path of recovery from the pandemic and its aftermath, but a path for progressing towards our goals on inclusive and pro-people and pro-Nature development,” the minister said on Wednesday.
The theme of this year’s HT Environment Conclave is “environment, social and governance (ESG).”
“Let me reassure you that the 21st century belongs to India, with inclusive growth and development for one and all. We are also working to imbibe and practice ‘Development with Design’, particularly in the infrastructure sector. So that in all the highways, expressways, rail and transmission line networks we build, ideas to promote economic development, environmental concerns are duly integrated,” Yadav said, adding that India’s sustainable development trajectory is governed by the country’s ambitious plans of transitioning to renewable energy, including green hydrogen, energy efficiency measures, sustainable transport, forest and biodiversity conservation, and promotion of sustainable lifestyles.
The Union environment ministry has initiated consultations with about 40 climate and energy experts on developing the concept of ‘sustainable lifestyles’ based on what PM Modi’s announcement at the Glasgow climate change conference (COP 26), Yadav said.
A senior environment ministry official familiar with developments said last week,“We had meetings with over 40 experts last week some of whom joined us virtually from other parts of the country on how the sustainable lifestyles concept can be a major pillar of the climate debate...”
India has urged developed countries to moderate their consumption patterns at various forums. The target of reducing emissions to net zero by mid-century, proposed by some countries, will not be adequate in view of the fast-depleting global carbon space, India had said in its official statement at the G20 energy and climate joint ministerial meeting in July last year and urged the member nations (G20) with per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions above the world average to reduce levels by 2030.
According to data provided by the Climate Watch by World Resources Institute, India emits 7.1% of global emissions and has per capita emissions of about 2.47 Tco2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), as compared to the global average of 6.45 tco2/per capita. In comparison to top emitters, India’s per capita emissions are seven times lower than that of the United States, 3.4 times lower compared to China’s and three times lower compared to the European Union.
