Shri Bhupender Yadav says protecting and restoring ecosystems can help reduce extent of climate change

Newdelhi:16/4/23:Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav said protecting and restoring ecosystems can help us reduce the extent of climate change and cope with its impacts. Speaking at the Plenary Session at the G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment in Sapporo, Japan he said it is therefore important that we address issues related to climate change in tandem with environmental action, holistically. We do hope that this is at the core of deliberations of this meeting of the Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers of the G7 Countries, he added.

Shri Yadav said climate change, desertification and biodiversity loss are deeply interlinked and pose existential challenges to humanity. In response to these challenges, Rio Conventions have made remarkable progress, through a consensus driven approach, based on principles, he said.

Shri Yadav said very recently at the CBD conference in Montreal we adopted the Global Biodiversity Framework and at CoP27 at Sharm el Sheikh, landmark decisions on issues like the Loss and Damage fund were taken. However, there still is a long way to go.

The Union Minister said India in its Presidency of G-20, for example, has taken this approach and embedded mitigation and adaptation deeply across priority areas of arresting land degradation, accelerating ecosystem restoration, and enriching biodiversity. He said the approach promotes a sustainable and climate resilient blue economy; encouraging resource efficiency and circular economy; with Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) as a cross-cutting theme, thus mainstreaming climate change, and addressing the impacts in an ambitious, decisive and action-oriented manner.

Shri Yadav said the recently launched International Big Cat alliance, on the occasion of 50 years of Project Tiger, is rooted in the fact that conserving big cats and their habitats can secure some of the most important natural ecosystems on Earth leading to natural climate change adaptation, water, and food security for millions of people, and provide livelihood and sustenance to forest communities.

Shri Yadav said it will be important to ensure country-driven approach along with the principles of equity and CBDR-RC to undertake decisive action. At the same time the voice of the global South needs to be recognised for a truly global leadership of G7 and to receive valuable inputs towards implementation of G7 initiatives. He said this approach will ensure that while we take decisions impacting the whole world, we leave no one behind.