Navy to cut down diesel, shift to electric: Navy Chief

Climate change presents a significant challenge to coastal regions as well as world navies, Indian Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh said on Friday.

Singh also said that the Indian Navy was gearing up to the challenge by cutting down the use of diesel and switching over to electric propulsion to power its engines.

"You see the kind of severity of storms that is happening now. That is (due to) climate change. You know what happened in the UN General Assembly and all the discussions that took place. So we are aware that climate change is taking place and it is definitely going to have an impact on the coastal regions and very large populations are living on the coast. So that is one area that is changing," said Singh in his inaugural address at the Goa Maritime Conclave, a meeting of top navy officials from 10 countries in the Indian Ocean region, in Panaji.

"Climate change, rising sea levels, natural calamities pose clear and present dangers. Maritime terror, drug smuggling IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing, poaching, trafficking, etc. have increasingly occupied the navies across the region,” Singh said.

During a media interaction, when asked about the environmentally friendly efforts taken by the Indian Navy to keep up the country's commitment to fighting climate change, Singh said: "We are looking at electric propulsion, which will cut down on the use of diesel and fossil fuels. We are doing that."