Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for a paradigm shift in global attitudes towards climate change, from "carbon credit", towards "green credit."
Chairing a meeting of the Prime Minister's Council on climate change, Prime Minister Modi said that instead of focusing on emissions and cuts alone, focus should shift on what we have done for clean energy generation, energy conservation and energy efficiency, and what more can be done in these areas.
He called for a careful evaluation of all the initiatives that have been taken by India in this regard. These include, mentioning some: initiatives in solar energy, wind energy, biomass energy, and transportation projects that have reduced distances or travel times.
The Prime Minister said India looks at the global concern and awareness on climate change, as a great opportunity for working towards improving the quality of life of its citizens, and making a positive contribution for mankind.
He further emphasized India's "sanskar" (traditions) and "soch" (thinking), where "prakriti prem" (love of nature) was imbibed among people from childhood. The Prime Minister also recalled his meeting with leaders of Pacific island nations in Fiji in November 2014, and the apprehension they had over the issue of climate change.
Prime Minister Modi called for a consortium of all nations who have the greatest solar energy potential. He called upon them to join hands with India for innovation and cutting-edge research that would reduce the cost of solar energy, making it more accessible to people.
He also called for a review of curricula in architecture and civil engineering colleges, to include energy efficient design in a big way.
The meeting was attended by Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu, Uma Bharti, Radha Mohan Singh, Prakash Javadekar, and Piyush Goyal. The meeting was also attended by R.K Pachauri, Nitin Desai, Ajay Mathur, J.M. Mauskar, Chandrashekhar Dasgupta and other members of the Council.
