Climate: Act globally, at high speed, urges PM

Biden: US to cut greenhouse gases in half by 2030 ■ Xi vows ‘carbon neutrality’ by 2060 ■

Addressing the US-convened Leaders’ Summit on Climate 2021 in virtual format on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for “concrete action at a high speed, on large scale, and with a global scope” to combat climate change, adding he and US President Joe Biden are launching the “India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 partnership” to help “mobilise investments, demonstrate clean technologies, and enable green collaborations”.

Earlier, opening the summit, President Biden said: “The United States sets out on the road to cut greenhouse gases in half — in half by the end of this decade. That’s where we’re headed as a nation ... The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. But the cost of inaction keeps mounting... I see an opportunity to create millions of good-paying, middle-class, union jobs.”

Prime Minister Modi, pointing out that “we, in India, are doing our part” and that India’s per capita carbon footprint is 60 per cent lower than the global average “because our lifestyle is rooted in sustainable traditional practices”, said: “Sustainable lifestyles and a guiding philosophy of ‘back to basics’ must be an important pillar of our economic strategy for the postCovid era.”

Thanking President Biden for “taking this initiative”, Mr Modi said that “humanity is battling a global pandemic right now and, this event is a timely reminder that the grave threat of climate change has not disappeared”. He added: “In fact, climate change is a lived reality for millions around the world. Their lives and livelihoods are already facing its adverse consequences.”

Mr Modi’s remarks were in the Leaders’ Session 1 Thursday evening on the topic “Our Collective Sprint to 2030”. The twoday summit began on Thursday with nearly 40 other world leaders participating, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

President Xi said: “China will strive to peak carbon