India Adopted Climate-Resilient Development Practices; Aims To Restore 26 Mn Hectares Of Degraded Land By 2030: PM Modi At G20

Addressing the G20 side event on "Safeguarding the Planet" on Sunday, PM Modi asserted that the entire world can progress faster if there is greater support of technology and finance to developing nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (File Photo/ PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that climate change must be fought not in silos but in an integrated, comprehensive and holistic way. Addressing the G20 side event on "Safeguarding the Planet", PM Modi asserted that the entire world can progress faster if there is greater support of technology and finance to developing nations. Inspired by our traditional ethos of living in harmony with the environment, and the commitment of my Government, India has adopted low-carbon and climate-resilient development practices. India is not only meeting our Paris Agreement targets but also exceeding them, PM Modi said in the virtual conference. "We have made LED lights popular. This saves 38 million tons of Carbon Dioxide emissions per year. Smoke free kitchens have been provided to over 80 million households through our Ujjwala Scheme. This is among the largest clean energy drives globally." Elaborating further on this point, PM Modi said that India aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. "We are encouraging a circular economy. India is making next-generation infrastructure such as metro networks, water-ways and more," PM said. "In addition to convenience and efficiency , they will also contribute to a cleaner environment. We will meet our goal of 175 Giga Watts of renewable energy well before the target of 2022. Now, we are taking a big step ahead by seeking to achieve 450 Giga Watts by 2030," Prime Minister Modi added. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump were among the world leaders who met PM Modi through video conferencing to discuss.