PM Modi urges cooperation of public in fight against climate change

Washington: In a speech urging public participation and teamwork in the battle against climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that an idea becomes a broad movement when it spreads from 'discussion tables to dinner tables'.

In addition, he stated to a group of world leaders on Friday that when people understand the power of small, everyday actions, the environment will be greatly improved.

"People across the world hear a lot about climate change. Many of them feel a lot of anxiety because they do not know what they can do about it. They are constantly made to feel that only governments or global institutions have a role. If they learn that they can also contribute, their anxiety will turn into action," Modi said while addressing the World Bank-organised "Making it Personal: How behavioral change can tackle climate change" conference.

Citing "Mission Life", which was launched by him and the UN secretary-general last year October, Modi said the programme is about democratising the battle against climate change.

"Climate change cannot be fought from conference tables alone. It has to be fought from the dinner tables in every home," he told the conference being held on the sidelines of the annual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

"When an idea moves from discussion tables to dinner tables, it becomes a mass movement", making every family and individual a part, and their choices can help the planet as well as provide scale and speed, he said.

Prime Minister Modi said when people become conscious that simple acts in their daily lives are powerful, there will be a very positive impact on the environment. The people of India have done a lot in this matter, he said.

"In the last few years, people-driven efforts have improved the sex-ratio in many parts of India. It was the people who laid a massive cleanliness drive, be it rivers, beaches, or roads. They are ensuring public places are free of litter, and it was the people who made the switch to LED bulbs a success. Nearly 370 million LED bulbs have been sold in India," he said.

This helps in avoiding nearly 39 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year, the prime minister said.

Farmers of India ensure coverage of nearly 7,00,000 hectares of farmland through micro-irrigation. Fulfilling the mantra of per drop more crop has saved a huge amount of water, he pointed out.

"Under Mission Life, our efforts are spread across many domains, such as making local bodies environment friendly, saving water, saving energy, reducing waste, and e-wastes, adopting healthy lifestyles, adoption of natural farming, promotion of millets," Modi said.

These efforts will save over 22 billion units of energy, save nine trillion litres of water, reduce waste by 375 million tons, recycle almost one million tons of e-waste, and generate around 170 million additional costs saving by 2030, he said.

"Further, it will help us reduce wastage of 15 billion tons of food," Modi said, noting that the global primary crop production in 2020, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, was about nine billion tons.

He said global institutions have an important role to play in encouraging countries across the world.

The World Bank Group is looking to increase climate finance from 26 per cent to 35 per cent as a share of total financing. The focus of this climate finance is usually on conventional respects, he noted.

The prime minister said adequate financing methods need to be worked out for behavioural initiatives and a show of support by the World Bank towards behavioural initiatives such as Mission Life will have a multiplier effect.

With PTI inputs