Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on G-7 nations to support India’s climate ambitions and invest in research, innovation and manufacturing in the area of clean energy technologies in the country. He said there was a huge market emerging for clean energy in India.
“The scale that India can provide for every new technology can make that technology affordable for the whole world. The core theories of the circular economy have been an integral part of Indian culture and lifestyle,” Modi said at the session on ‘Investing in a better Future: Climate, Energy, Health’ at the G7 Summit in Germany on Monday.
On carbon emissions
Modi re-emphasised that India’s contribution to global carbon emissions was only 5 per cent despite the country being home to 17 per cent of the world’s population. “All of you will also agree with this that energy access should not be the privilege of the rich only- a poor family also has the same rights on energy. And today when energy costs are sky-high due to geopolitical tensions, it is more important to remember this thing,” he said.
The statement is important as many developed nations have been putting pressure on India to take on more ambitious commitments in the area of de-carbonisation.
The G7 is an informal grouping of the world’s leading industrial nations including the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. India is participating in the meet on the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who is hosting the two-day event that started on Sunday. Other non-members that have been invited are Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal, and South Africa. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy participated in the meet virtually on Monday.
During the pandemic, India found many creative ways to use digital technology in the health sector, Modi said. G7 countries can help India take these innovations to other developing countries, he added.
In times of the Covid crisis, yoga became a great tool for preventive health for people all over the world, which helped many people maintain their physical and mental health, he added.