G20 should work on legally ending plastic pollution: PM Modi

Contending that countries of the Global South are particularly impacted by climate change and environmental issues, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sought “enhanced action” from developing countries on commitments made under the UN Climate Convention and the Paris Agreement.

In a video address at the Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministers' meeting here, Modi said “enhanced action” is crucial in helping the Global South countries to fulfil their development aspirations in a “climate-friendly” manner, while stressing that climate action should follow the rise and development of the last person in the society.

The Prime Minister also exhorted the G20 to work constructively to work on an effective international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.

In his 13-minute address, Modi said India already has electric capacity through non-fossil fuel forces nine years ahead of schedule and is now among the top five countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity, besides setting a target to attain Net Zero by 2047.

Read | G20 countries launch coalition to promote circular economy

Talking about Ocean Economy, Modi said they support the livelihoods of over three billion people across the globe as they are a crucial economic resource, especially for the small island States. "Responsible use and management of ocean resources is of vital importance. I look forward to the adoption of G20 high-level principles for sustainable and resilient blue and ocean-based economy," he added.

Flaunting that India’s bio-conversation projects have been highly successful with community participation, Modi recalled the recently-launched initiative called the International Big Cat Alliance for the conservation of seven big cats of the planet.

“It is based on our learning from Project Tiger, a pioneering conservation initiative. The result of the project is that 70 per cent of the Tigers in the world are today found in India. We are also working on Project Lion and Project Dolphin. Indian initiatives have always been powered by people's participation,” he added.

On climate change, Modi said Countries of the global South are particularly impacted by climate change and environmental issues. “We need enhanced action on commitment under the UN climate convention and the Paris agreement. This will be crucial in helping the global South fulfilling development inspirations In a climate-friendly way,” the Prime Minister said.

In his address, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said under the Indian Presidency, the G20 for the first time, we have delved into the pressing issues of forest fires and mining degraded areas as priority landscapes.

“Our experiences and best practices to restore them are included in Presidency documents, and these can be useful in implementing measures to achieve our target for land degradation neutrality,” he said, adding that the countries have addressed the issue of integrated water resource management.

Contending that all G20 member states are coastal states and have a serious responsibility to protect and conserve coastal and ocean resources and use them responsibly, Yadav said their efforts culminated in the launch of the Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Information Coalition (RECEIC) on Thursday.

“We look forward to the deliberations over the rest of the day, and to the release of the Presidency documents, outcome document and chairs’ summary that reflect key areas of our agreement. Our ultimate objective is to ensure universal wellbeing, and I am confident that the outcomes we adopt here today in Chennai will help generate critical momentum towards achieving this objective,” the minister added.