Last Update: February 09, 2023, 23:16 IST
Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said India’s G20 chairmanship will bring nations together to adopt an integrated, comprehensive and consensus-driven approach that can help them tackle the challenges of climate change. (Photo: News18)
The Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group, one of 13 working groups under the Sherpa track, will hold four meetings between February and May
The first Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting under India’s G20 chairmanship began in Bengaluru on Thursday with a focus on restoration of mining and forest fire-affected areas.
The Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group, one of 13 working groups under the Sherpa Track, will hold four meetings between February and May.
The first ongoing meeting in Bengaluru will continue till February 9, the second in Gandhinagar (March 27-29), the third in Mumbai (May 21-23) and the fourth in Chennai (May 26-27). The ministerial meeting is expected to be held in Chennai on July 28.
Land degradation, biodiversity loss, marine pollution, excessive consumption of resources and lack of waste absorption are the major environmental concerns that will be addressed at the four ECSWG meetings under India’s G20 chairmanship.
Under the theme Biodiversity and Land Degradation, India According to a presentation shared by the Union Environment Ministry, the goal is to increase the contribution of the G20 to achieve a 50 percent reduction in wastelands by 2040.
It also seeks to enhance global efforts to promote growth and development while pursuing stronger climate ambitions.
India is committed to restoring 25 million hectares of land by 2030 and sequestering an additional 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Wildfires account for about 29 percent of global forest loss over the past two decades. In India, forest fires account for 2 per cent of the loss of forest cover.
The G20 countries account for about 80 percent of the world’s tree cover.
The Indian Presidency hopes to help develop and encourage the adoption of the G20 Framework to Combat Land Degradation and the G20 Online Knowledge and Solutions Exchange Platform to identify and showcase successful land restoration projects.
It will bring to the fore G20 studies on the restoration of abandoned mine sites and areas affected by wildfires; and a compendium on “Best Practices for Integrated Planning and Sustainable Management of Water Resources”.
In the meeting, AS Rawat, Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, discussed the global outlook on aspects of eco-restoration with respect to areas affected by mining and forest fires.
Representatives from G-20 countries shared their experiences and best practices on restoration of mining and wildfire affected areas.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)