New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India has made extraordinary progress in environmental protection, and noted that India is the only G20 country to have fulfilled all the commitments agreed upon at the Paris climate summit ahead of the stipulated deadline.
The international conference on the future of environmental and climate dynamics, organized by the National Green Tribunal, began today at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the two-day conference.
Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “For centuries, India has been guiding the world on matters related to nature and the environment. Drawing on its cultural experiences, India has been offering solutions to modern-day climate challenges while also calling for collective global action.
We know that responsibility for carbon emissions is often unfairly placed on developing countries. The historical reality is that even today, India’s per capita carbon emissions remain less than half the global average.
Over the past 12 years, India has made extraordinary progress in every environment-related sector. India is placing greater emphasis on renewable energy, which plays a key role in environmental protection.
India is the only G20 country to have fulfilled all the commitments agreed upon at the COP21 summit held in Paris, the capital of France, ahead of the stipulated deadline. This speaks to India’s strength.
Whether it is the use of non-fossil fuels, solar energy capacity, or controlling carbon emissions, India’s performance is being spoken of positively across the world today on every measure.
12 years ago, India’s solar power generation was around 2 gigawatts. It has now crossed 160 gigawatts. Under the central government’s scheme to turn homes into hubs for solar power generation, rooftop solar panels have been installed in more than 5 million homes. Under this scheme, the government provides up to about Rs. 80,000 per household.
Just like solar power, India has achieved significant milestones in other clean energy sectors as well. Over the past 12 years, the country’s wind power generation capacity has tripled. Hydropower generation capacity has also grown considerably. In addition, the country is now rapidly advancing nuclear power generation as well.
Most recently, India’s first hydrogen train was introduced. It is the world’s longest hydrogen train. Similarly, over the past 12 years, the number of electric vehicles in our country has increased by nearly 950 times,” he said.
Environmental experts, judges from the Supreme Court, High Courts, and District Courts, secretaries from various ministries, judges from 17 countries, and judicial representatives are among those participating in this conference.