Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the greatest challenges faced by the world today are climate change, terrorism and pandemics
RH DESK
December 2
As India began its year-long presidency of the Group of 20 leading economies or G20, it has put climate at the top of the group’s priorities.
According to the experts, programs to encourage sustainable living and money for countries to transition to clean energy and deal with the effects of a warming world are some of the key areas that India will focus on during its presidency.
“Today, we do not need to fight for our survival – our era need not be one of war. Indeed, it must not be one!” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while India assumed the presidency of the G20. “Today, the greatest challenges we face – climate change, terrorism, and pandemics – can be solved not by fighting each other, but only by acting together”.
The G-20, made up of the world’s largest economies, has a rolling presidency with a different member state in charge of the group’s agenda and priorities each year. Experts believe India will use the “big stage” of the G-20 presidency to drive forward its climate and development plans.
Samir Saran, president of the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank told Associated Press that the country “will focus heavily on responding to the current and future challenges posed by climate change.”
The ORF will be anchoring the T-20 — a group of think tanks from the 20 member countries whose participants meet alongside the G-20.
Saran said that “India will work to ensure that money is flowing from rich industrialized nations to emerging economies to help them combat global warming, such as a promise of $100 billion a year for clean energy and adapting to climate change for poorer nations that has not yet been fulfilled and a recent pledge to vulnerable countries that there will be a fund for the loss and damage caused by extreme weather.”
He also said India will also use the presidency to push its flagship “Mission Life” program that encourages more sustainable lifestyles in the country, which is set to soon become most populous in the world.
