India committed to Climate Change issues: Javadekar

The Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar has said that Government’s initiatives, efforts, and action plans to pursue the clean and renewable energy path had put India in a leadership position in dealing with climate change issues. India’s Solar Energy programme which aims to generate 1 lakh MW Electricity by 2020, and other initiatives on wind energy deployment, water conservation, and protecting coastlines and Himalayan Ecosystem, reflected Government’s commitment towards environment protection and sustainable development. The Minister stated this while delivering the Keynote Address at the Conference on ‘Negotiating the Climate Cliff: India’s Climate Policy and Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)’ organized by Council on Energy, Environment & Water (CEEW), a think-tank on environment issues, here today.

Regarding the ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contributions’ that India has to submit before the Paris Climate Conference 2015, Shri Javadekar said that various modalities and frameworks for developing India’s INDCs were being worked out. The Government would take into account the issues of accessibility of key technologies and financial mechanisms that support Climate Change initiatives, the Minister added. The Minister also reiterated the need to balance the efforts towards environment protection and sustainable development.

The Conference aims at initiating discussions on India’s Climate strategy prior to and post Paris 2015. A range of issues around nuclear energy, energy efficiency, low-carbon transportation choices, Hydroflurocarbons (HFCs), and Carbon Capture and Storage all of which have critical relevance in India’s Climate policy were being deliberated upon. The Conference also intends to discuss strategies and frameworks that would support India’s position in the Climate Change discourse in Paris 2015.