Be the change, says minister

Patna: Cleanliness and care for the environment are in many ways entwined, and what Union minister of environment, forest and climate change Harsh Vardhan on Sunday underlined as a must to fight the impact of climate change in India can be extrapolated to fight Patna’s filth problem: The need for people to make behavioural changes.

But while the minister’s prescription of being the change had a bit of Mahatma Gandhi, his example – of the changes needed – had a bit of Narendra Modi.

“One could get the details of the good deeds, which would help them usher the desired behavioural change, by downloading the Dr Harsh Vardhan mobile app. It has details of around 700 such deeds,” he said.

The minister was speaking at the inaugural function of East India Climate Change Conclave here. The two-day conclave will deliberate on developing a common understanding of latest trends, practices, and challenges pertaining to climate change governance, climate finance, and other related topics.

The conclave – featuring six states and subject experts – will also explore ways to improve the governance of climate change adaptation issues through system enhancements, institutional developments and policy shifts.

Reiterating India’s commitment to the Paris accord, the minister said by 2030 the country would cut down on greenhouse gas emission by 33 to 35 per cent and would start filling 40 per cent of its energy needs through clean sources.

He said the country wanted to banish one-time-use plastic products by 2022.

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi spoke about the steps Bihar is taking to combat the impact of climate change. The state has set a target of generating or buying 2,000MW of solar power by 2022, he said, and planting 15 crore saplings in the coming five years.

“From September 1 this year, brick kilns not using clean technology would not be allowed to function,” he said.

Clean technology reduces coal consumption in brick kilns by 25 per cent.

Sushil suggested to add the words “climate change” in the name of the environment department. Chief minister Nitish Kumar accepted it.

Courtesy: The Telegraph