World Not Doing Enough To Overcome Climate Change Challenges: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday gave a clarion call for a “global people’s movement” to bring about a behavioral change to deal with climate change as he made a path-breaking pledge to more than double India’s non-fossil fuel target to 400 gigawatts.

In his Independence Day speech, Modi had announced that India will produce 175 GW of non-fossil fuel as part of its commitment to the Paris Climate agreement.

Modi announced that India would increase the share of non-fossil fuel and by 2022 “we will increase our renewable energy capacity to much beyond 175 GW and take it further to 400 GW.”

Monday’s announcement during Modi’s speech at the global climate summit goes well beyond the pledge of 175 GW. It comes a day after Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump shared the stage at a gala event in Houston on Sunday and displayed a close friendship and a common vision on fighting terrorism.

But the US and India are wide variant on the issue of climate change. Trump withdrew from the Paris deal in 2017 and blamed India and China for his decision, saying the agreement was unfair as it would have made the US pay for nations which benefited the most from the deal.

“We must accept that if we have to overcome a serious challenge like climate change, then what we are doing at the moment is just not enough,” Modi told world leaders at the summit organised by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres here.

In his first engagement at the United Nations, Modi noted that various efforts are being made by different countries to fight climate change and said what is needed today is a comprehensive approach which covers everything from education to values, and from lifestyle to developmental philosophy.

The Climate Action Summit aims to boost action to implement the Paris Agreement, which was signed in 2015.

 Here are the highlights of the speech:

8.32 pm: Need not greed has been our guiding principle and therefore, India is here today not just to talk about this serious issue, but also present a practical approach: PM Modi.

8.31 pm: We believe the right practice is more than a tonne of preaching. In India, we are going to increase our renewable energy capacity to 175 GW by 2022: PM Modi

8.31 pm: We are promoting e-mobility in our transport sector: PM Modi

8.30 pm: India is also working to considerably increase the bio-fuel blended in petrol and diesel: PM Modi

8.29 pm: We have given gas connections for clean cooking to 115 million families: PM Modi

8.29 pm: In the next few years, India is going to spend $50 million on this: PM Modi

8.28 pm: We have started the Jal Jeevan Mission for water conservation, rain-water harvesting, and for the development of water resources. PM Modi

8.27 pm: Today what we require is a comprehensive approach. Need not greed has been our guiding principle: PM Narendra Modi at the Climate Action Summit at the UN HQ in New York.

8.26 pm: We believe the right practice is more than a tonne of preaching. In India, we are going to increase our renewable energy capacity to 175 GW by 2022: PM Narendra Modi at the Climate Action Summit at the UN HQ in New York.

8:25 pm: We believe that an ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of preaching: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at UNSG's Summit on Climate Change.