'Climate Justice' Can Only Be Achieved By Equitable Sustainable Development And Equity In Climate Actions: Bhupender Yadav

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday (16 February) said that to address global environmental challenges, including climate change, the world must act now on the basis of globally agreed rules.

Addressing the inaugural session of the 21st edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit 2022, which is the annual flagship event by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the Minister stressed on fighting environmental challenges including climate change by taking into account the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

"The Paris Agreement goals cannot be reached unless equity is implemented by all countries staying within their fair share of the global carbon budget. Our goal should be equitable sustainable development and equity in climate actions. Only then, ‘climate justice’ can be achieved," Yadav said.

He further added that approach to utilisation of resources must be based on ‘Mindful and Deliberate Utilization’ and not ‘Mindless and Destructive consumption’, said an Environment Ministry release.

“Those who have contributed the most in taking the world in the wrong direction, must also make the maximum effort to come back to the path of sustainability”, said Yadav.

Considering the critical need for saving the environment, the Minister underlined that while the industrial revolution has brought prosperity to countries, it has come at a huge cost to the environment.

“Notwithstanding the adverse impacts of the pandemic on the economy, India has in fact enhanced its climate ambition. India is spearheading one of the most ambitious clean energy transitions in the world," he said.

The Minister further stated that the inclusive and sustainable macro-economic development of India requires that both adaptation and mitigation objectives of the country are uniformly and equitably responded, within the larger goal of meeting the people’s aspirations and needs.

He added that India's latest Union budget has reaffirmed the country's determination to go down this path.

The minister said that the “developed countries must respond on their part with due ambition and must meet both their promises – of reducing emissions drastically by changing their lifestyles and providing the developing countries with increased finance and technology support’’.