28 April 2020
Introduction:
India attended the first ever virtual dialogue at the eleventh session of Petersburg Climate Dialogue deliberating on issues of Climate Change.
Highlights:
- India was represented by Shri Prakash Javdekar-the Union Minister for Environmnet,Forest and Climate Change.
- 30 other countries attended the dialogue.
- Hosted by Germany and co-hosted by UK.
- This eleventh session of Petersberg Climate Dialogue has been hosted by Germany since 2010 after the Copenhagen Summit failed in 2009.
- Dialogue serves to provide a forum for informal high-level political discussions, focusing both on international climate negotiations and the advancement of climate action.
- UK is to preside over the forthcoming 26th Conference of Parties (COP 26) to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Key Agenda:
- Deliberations were made on possibilities to re-invigorate economic conditions which deteriorated due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Catalysing climate action as the world enters the implementation phase of post 2020 Paris Agreement.
- Building collective resilience and supporting the vulnerable.
India’s Concurrence:
- India stressed the need for making Climate Technology an open source for all.
- India suggested to create 1 trillion$ USD grant to developing world immediately.
- Union Minister reiterated PM Modi’s stance of “Sustainable consumerism and sustainable life-styles which was first mooted by our honourable Prime Minister Narender Modi during Paris COP as the need of the hour.
- India’s Nationally Determined Contributions spanning a ten year time frame are ambitious and compliant with the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.
- Need to accelerate renewable energy deployment and creating new green jobs in the renewable energy and efficiency sector.
Other Deliberations:.
- The Union Minister also participated in an Indo German bilateral meeting with Ms. SvenjaShulze ,Minister, Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety , Germany.
- This bilateral meeting was held via video conference just before the Petersburg Climate Dialogue.
- It covered discussions on a range of issues covering climate change, conservation of biodiversity and technical cooperation with Germany in these areas.
- The situation in both countries arising from the COVID 19 pandemic, and recovery efforts, were also discussed.