Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for people’s participation as well as collective efforts in the fight against climate change. He said that an idea becomes a mass movement when it reaches from the discussion table to the dinner table. The Prime Minister told world leaders on Friday that when people become aware that even small efforts made by them in their daily lives can prove to be very effective, then there is a positive impact on the environment. People around the world hear a lot about climate change, he said at a conference organized by the World Bank on ‘Making it Personal: How Behavioral Change Can Tackle Climate Change’. Many of them feel very uneasy, because they do not know what they can do to reduce its effects. They are constantly made to feel that only governments or global institutions have a role to play in this.
If they realize that they too can contribute, their restlessness will turn into action. Referring to ‘Mission Life’ launched by him and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in October last year, the Prime Minister said the program aims to democratize the fight against climate change. Addressing the conference, organized on the sidelines of the annual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, Modi said climate change cannot be fought only by sitting at conference room tables, but should be fought from every household.
He said that when an idea reaches from the discussion table to the dinner table, it becomes a mass movement and every family and individual becomes a part of it. Small steps taken by them can give momentum to this mass movement along with helping the earth. Modi said that the people of India have done a lot in this matter. He said that over the years, mass efforts have improved the sex ratio in many parts of India. People have launched a massive cleanliness drive. Be it rivers, or beaches or roads, the people of India are making sure that there is no littering in public places. Modi said that people have made the LED bulb adoption campaign successful and around 37 crore LED bulbs have been sold in India.
The Prime Minister said that it is helping in reducing about 39 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year. He said that the farmers of India ensured that around 7,00,000 hectares of agricultural land came under the purview of micro irrigation system. Modi underlined that it has saved a huge amount of water, realizing the mantra of more crop per drop. Modi said, that under Mission Life, our efforts are spread across many areas, such as making local bodies eco-friendly, saving water, saving energy, reducing waste and e-waste, adopting a healthy lifestyle, Adoption of natural farming and promotion of coarse cereals.
The Prime Minister said that these efforts would save 22 billion units of electricity, save nine thousand billion liters of water, reduce 375 million tonnes of waste and recycle about one lakh tonnes of e-waste. The efforts will also help us prevent wastage of 15 billion tonnes of food grains, he added. Modi said that global institutions have an important role in encouraging countries around the world. The World Bank Group is looking at increasing funding for climate action from 26 percent to 35 percent. Modi said that the focus of this climate financing is usually on traditional aspects. The Prime Minister said that there is a need to work out adequate financing measures for behavioral initiatives. He said that the World Bank’s support for behavioral initiatives like ‘Mission Life’ will have a multiplier effect.
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