UN Praises India For Climate Action

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasions stated that India is a very important actor and “fundamental partner” in international efforts on climate action and is making a “fantastic effort” to grow its renewable energy basket.

Narendra Modi will be among the first set of speakers at the Summit in the UN General Assembly chamber along with Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, President of Marshall Islands Hilda Heine and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“There has been a huge investment in India in relation to solar power. India still has a meaningful amount of coal and we have also discussed that. And he (Modi) has a number of other initiatives of different sorts related to the Clean India (campaign) and many other aspects that will have, we believe and we hope, a strong impact from the point of view of India’s progressive performance in relation to climate action,” Guterres said in response to a question by PTI on India’s climate action.

The UN headquarters will be powered with green electricity when the Gandhi Solar Park gifted by India comes online on September 24 symbolising New Delhi’s commitment to fighting climate change. The installation costing about $1 million will generate 50 kilowatts of electricity from the 193 solar panels, each representing a UN member nation. India is also donating a Gandhi Peace Garden made up of 150 trees, which will be located at a university campus in Old Westbury as another environmental gift.

The two gifts that come in the year of the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth showcase two elements in the fight against climate change: Generating green energy from renewable resources through the solar park and using the trees to sequester (or capture back from the environment) carbon emissions that contribute to global warming.