Environment Minister’s Opening Remarks at the Joint Press Conference at the Seventh St. Petersburg Climate Dialogue in Berlin
Posted on 04 Jul, 2016 3:57 pm
India has said that cooperation in finance and technology is needed to take further actions on climate agreement. In his opening remarks at the joint press conference with German Minister, Ms. Barbara Hendricks at the Seventh St. Petersburg Dialogue in Berlin, Germany, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, said that pre-2020 actions are important. The Minister underlined the Joint Statement by Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Angela Merkel in October 2015.
The following is the text of Environment Minister’s opening remarks at the Joint Press Conference in Berlin today:
“I am really very hopeful of the outcome of St. Petersburg Dialgoue, which is the 7th edition, in this beautifully designed hall, I have never seen a more beautiful hall anywhere and therefore, the result too will be positive.
As far as the Ratification is concerned, India has already started the process. Recently when our Prime Minister was in Washington, in a meeting with President Obama, he also emphasized that the process has to be at the earliest and we have already started working in the direction. Cooperation is the key for taking actions further, because every country is at a different level of development. We need cooperation, we have the will to act, but we do not have the wherewithal to do it, not only in terms of finances, but particularly in terms of technology. When we talk of technology, Germany is the most reliable name in technology in many fields and therefore, there is finance, technology and mutual cooperation and walking the talk. What we have achieved in New York in UN is that we signed the agreement and now we have to implement it. So, pre-2020 actions are also important and they will be discussed here in Petersburg Dialogue.
Coming to today’s efforts, on 5th October 2015, Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Angela Merkel, both issued a Joint Statement and I think that is the basis of Indo-German partnership programme. We actually appreciate and we can think of emulating it at a future date. But by 2050, you will be meeting 80 per cent of your energy needs through renewable energy. That is the most laudable thing. Our earlier target was only 20 Giga Watts of solar energy. When Prime Minister Modi assumed office, we upscaled it by 5 times and made it 100 Giga Watts. Other renewable energy like wind energy, now we have opened it for offshore also.”
Courtesy – Press Information Bureau, Government of India