Gujarat To Host Second G20 Meet On Environment, Climate Sustainability In Gandhinagar Today

The nation is preparing for meetings ahead of India's presidency of the G20 summit, with Gujarat's Gandhinagar set to host the second G20 ECSWG meeting, & Darjeeling gearing up for a tourism meeting.

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The second G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting will begin on Monday in Gandhinagar, with a focus on halting land degradation, accelerating ecosystem restoration, establishing a circular economy, and developing a climate-resilient blue economy.

The ECSWG, one of the 13 Sherpa track working groups, is expected to meet four times. The ECSWG had its first meeting in Bengaluru from February 9 to 11. The third meeting will be placed in Mumbai (May 21-23), and the fourth in Chennai (May 26-30). The ministerial meeting is scheduled for July 28 in Chennai. 

The Environment Ministry said in a statement that the second meeting will include 130 participants from G20 member countries, 11 invitee countries, and 14 international organisations.

"The three-day meeting will focus on thematic areas such as arresting land degradation, accelerating ecosystem restoration and biodiversity enrichment, encouraging resource efficiency and circular economy, and promoting a sustainable and climate resilient blue economy," the statement said.

Major Focus Of The Meeting: 

During the meeting, special presentations will be made on major initiatives such as Namami Gange, climate-resilient infrastructure, participatory groundwater management, Jal Jeevan Mission, and Swachh Bharat Mission.

The four ECSWG meetings during India's G20 presidency will address key environmental concerns such as land degradation, biodiversity loss, marine pollution, resource overconsumption, and waste absorption. India aims to increase G20 contributions to achieve a 50% reduction in degraded lands by 2040 under the Biodiversity and Land Degradation Theme.

It also aims to strengthen global efforts to promote growth and development while pursuing aggressive climate goals, according to the statement.

By 2030, India plans to restore 25 million hectares of land and sequester an additional 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Darjeeling Gears Up For G20 Meeting On Tourism:

Preparations for the G20's 2nd Tourism Working Group Meeting, which will begin on April 1, are in full swing in West Bengal's Darjeeling district, news agency PTI reported citing officials on Sunday.

Green tourism, digitalisation, skills, tourism MSMEs, and destination management were identified as five sector priorities at the first meeting in Gujarat's Kachchh in February. Representatives of G20 countries, invitee nations, and international organisations will discuss deeper aspects of the five priorities at the second meeting in Darjeeling, they said.

A side event on 'adventure tourism as a vehicle for achieving Sustainable Development Goals' will also be held by the Tourism Ministry. The event will feature presentations from all of the Northeastern states, as per the report, officials stated. 

A full-day programme has also been planned for the domestic tourism industry and the states to discuss adventure tourism, according to officials.