Climate resilience needs people-centric, community-based approach: President Murmu
New Delhi, Sept 20 (TNT): President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday stressed the need to strengthen climate resilience through people-centric and community-based adaptation approaches rooted in traditional knowledge.
Addressing the valedictory session of the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) two-day International Conference on `The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics’ here, the President appreciated the NGT’s role in strengthening environmental governance.
Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Manohar Lal, Supreme Court Judge Justice B V Nagarathna, NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta were among those present.
Manohar Lal highlighted India’s efforts to balance development with environmental sustainability and said non-fossil sources accounted for nearly 55 per cent of the country’s installed power generation capacity.
He said India had achieved its target of 50 per cent non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity five years ahead of schedule.
He also highlighted initiatives relating to sustainable urban development, water security, public transport, green mobility and electric vehicles and called for collective action to address climate change.
Justice B V Nagarathna said environmental governance needed to balance development and conservation, present requirements and the interests of future generations, while taking into account the differentiated impact of environmental challenges on communities.
She highlighted the Supreme Court’s shift towards an ecocentric approach and stressed the importance of effective institutions, enforcement, transparency, accountability and access to justice.
Justice Nagarathna said interconnected challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and water scarcity required cooperation among jurisdictions, knowledge-sharing and equitable responsibility among nations.
NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said the two-day deliberations highlighted the need to move beyond identifying environmental challenges and build laws, institutions and partnerships capable of addressing them.
He stressed that climate action should be inclusive and equitable, particularly with regard to vulnerable communities and future generations, and said environmental law needed to remain responsive to technological developments, innovation, sustainable finance and just transition.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said environmental challenges required the combined expertise of law, governance, science, economics and society.
He stressed the need to balance biodiversity protection, climate action and development through scientific assessment, innovation and sustainable development.
During the programme, Manohar Lal released the NGT souvenir `Harit Nyayam’ and presented its first copy to President Murmu.
The publication chronicles the establishment, growth and achievements of the Tribunal and contains perspectives and discussions emerging from its work and the conference.
The conference, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 19, brought together jurists, academicians, policymakers, scientists, environmental experts and other stakeholders from 17 countries, besides representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme and Asian Development Bank.
The second day featured sessions on Planetary Environmental Challenges and Cooperation' and Forests for the Future: A Dialogue on Forest Protection and Restoration’. The sessions discussed transboundary environmental challenges, shared natural resources, forest governance, sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, community participation and technology-based monitoring.
The conference concluded with an emphasis on strengthening environmental governance, climate justice, institutional cooperation and international collaboration to address environmental and climate challenges.
TNT KM
