Environment Minister Yadav meets Japanese counterpart, talks up strengthening bilateral cooperation

Yadav also addressed the inaugural session of the India-Japan Environment Week and said the world needed to urgently address the issue of unsustainable production and consumption to confront the crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday met his Japanese counterpart Akihiro Nishimura here and stressed that the two sides might explore strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially on circular economy, resource efficiency, low carbon technology and green hydrogen. Yadav also addressed the inaugural session of the India-Japan Environment Week and said the world needed to urgently address the issue of unsustainable production and consumption to confront the crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

In his meeting with Nishimura, Yadav emphasised on the importance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mantra of "LiFE, Lifestyle for Environment to tackle environmental challenges facing the world". Modi had on October 20 launched Mission Life, envisioned as a global mass movement that would nudge individual and collective action to protect and preserve the environment.

"We also held talks on G7/G20 collaboration, along with marine and plastic waste. Stressed that India and Japan may explore strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially on circular economy and resource efficiency, low carbon technology, green hydrogen," Yadav tweeted. Collective action guided by the founding principles of the Rio Conventions can save the earth from these crises, he said during his address at the event, adding that "we hope the fight against climate change will unite the world as one family".

"India and Japan have taken over the presidency of G20 and G7 respectively. This is an opportunity for both the countries to set the agendas and priorities for shaping the future of the world towards Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or 'One Earth, One Family, One Future', which is also the theme of India's G20 presidency," Yadav said. This is an opportunity for both the countries to discuss the challenges and solutions related to climate change, marine litter, air pollution and sustainable transport and technologies to help pave the way towards a green, circular and sustainable future, he said.

"It is our firm belief that to save mother earth from planetary challenges of climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity, we need collective action guided by the founding principles of the Rio Conventions. Unsustainable production and consumption need urgent attention if we are to confront these crises," the minister said.

He said the importance of sustainable lifestyles and patterns of production and consumption in global efforts to combat climate change was underscored at the recently concluded COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Yadav said it was the need of the hour to orient industrial development towards sustainable production and to be a tool for nudging sustainable consumption. (PTI)