It is time to stop using the term climate change, and replace it with climate crisis due to the kind of changes that are being encountered in annual weather, said Shoko Noda, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in India.
In an interview with DH’s ETB Sivapriyan on the sidelines of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministers' conference in Chennai, Shoko Noda, who participated in the meeting as a delegate, spoke on Indian Presidency in G20, the need for continuity on the deliberations, blue economy, and circular economy.
Excerpts:
What are your first comments on the deliberations at the ECSWG meeting followed by ministers’ meeting? What do you think about the progress made?
The world is facing a compounded and protracted crisis which includes the climate crisis. We no longer call it climate change, it is a climate crisis especially when you see the annual weather events. This year (heat wave in several countries) has been really bad and hence this G20 meeting on climate has a critical role to push the global agenda. They are of course bringing out outcome documents which covers critical issues like land degradation, blue economy, and circular economy.
These are the issues that should be pushed forward. There is a bit of continuity from the Indonesian Presidency (2022) to Indian Presidency (2023) and I am hoping that the incoming Brazilian Presidency (2024) would also continue to discuss some of the issues that were taken up here in Chennai. This is a group whose member countries account for nearly 90 per cent of the world’s GDP, and 80 per cent of international trade and emissions. I believe the Indian Presidency’s leadership was strong and focussed on several issues. The G20 group should remain ambitious (in solving critical issues like those related to climate). As you know, the future of this planet really depends on these 20 countries.
When you say ambitious, what do you mean and in what terms?
Energy transition group also plays an important role because we hope that the transition to green energy will be quicker than we all hope. Also, the finance side is important and for finance, we also have the finance track which also includes a sustainable finance working group. So, those issues are spread and interconnected. It is very important to bring environmental issues and discuss them together along with issues related to the economy. When I was listening to the deliberations, I felt that maybe more discussions could be held within these groups before making a decision.
You mentioned the Blue Economy. What is it and why is it important for G20 countries to focus on it?
The Blue ocean economy is extremely important because these 20 countries basically cover 45 per cent of the world’s coastal line. It is a critical element and we no longer can take the ocean for granted. We need to look into the benefits that we are getting from the ocean, whose benefits we have underestimated for a long time. The marginalised communities which are living on the coast will be the worst affected if we don’t address the issues now.
The sea level is slowly but steadily increasing. I was in Maldives before I came to India and I have seen the effects of coastal erosion and the temperature rise which affects corals and fish population. If we don't take any action before 2050, we will have more plastic than fish. And we really need to work on this issue and this coalition of countries have to play an important role in mitigating the ill-effects of climate change for the fishing community.
How do you think the Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC) launched on Thursday will help the cause?
Ultimately, the resources that we have on this planet are limited. These resources didn’t come easily, but it took millions of years to produce what we have now. So, we really have to use the resources and find ways to recycle. Circular economy is the way forward and we just cannot continue to exploit resources.
Do you think that the Indian G20 Presidency has addressed key issues?
Yes. There are going to be declarations on land degradation, land management, and water management, at the end of the discussions. These are the key issues that the G20 countries should look into. I personally think that G20 Presidency roles are becoming more challenging and in this current context, I think India's strong leadership is visible as there were serious discussions on several issues. I was a party to several discussions and I am hopeful we will be able to come out with solutions.
What are some of the key findings and recommendations of the Blue Economy Technical Study?
The technical study outlines a list of actions and recommendations for the G20 members to further the case of Blue Economy including sustainably using marine and coastal resources, achieving economic growth for concerned population groups, and adapting to the impacts of climate change. The study provides broad recommendations to assist countries in their transition to Blue Economy in general, for instance those related to improving sectoral integration and inter-institutional collaboration, increasing awareness among stakeholders on Blue Economy, and establishing measurement and evaluation frameworks for the Blue Economy; and also specific recommendations on the three sub-priorities identified by the Indian Presidency: addressing marine litter for a sustainable Blue Economy, conservation and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems, and mainstreaming Marine Spatial Planning for a sustainable and resilient Blue Economy
What is your recommendation for the future G20 presidencies?
Continuity is extremely important and I think there is a tendency to deviate from the issues discussed during previous Presidencies and add new issues. But I believe since there is continuity from Indonesia to India, it will travel to Brazil and South Africa the same way. These are the three super popular countries and if they come together and keep their messaging right, they can be the voice of the Global South. I think we should be able to have some breakthrough on, for example climate finance. Because this is a more compact forum than others like COP. The future presidencies should make progress on the issues discussed during the deliberations in India.
Climate financing has been one of the most contentious issues. The developing countries have been pushing the developed countries to act on their commitments. Do you think the issue of Climate Finance can be resolved?
As I mentioned earlier, this is a group of countries which accounts for almost 90 per cent of the world’s GDP which means there is enough flow of money. I think it is also very important because the Government’s Budget is just not enough. We need to leverage the private sector funding. So again, this is the group of countries where the private sector is very strong and that is where the high GDP comes from. So it is important. The government has a responsibility to work more closely with the private sector in several areas.
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