Suva, Oct 6 (IANS): Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday offered to share India’s expertise in coastal resilience, climate-risk assessment and space-based applications with Pacific partners, while calling for equal attention to adaptation, mitigation and means of implementation ahead of the COP31 conference.
Yadav is leading the Indian delegation at the Pre-COP31 meetings under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), being co-hosted by Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu.
Pre-COP is a preparatory meeting held a few weeks before the annual UN Climate Change Conference, with COP 31 scheduled to be held in Turkey in November this year.
Addressing the Leaders’ Plenary at the Pre-COP in Fiji, Yadav emphasised that the principles of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) must be upheld in letter and spirit for meaningful and sustained climate action across countries.
The Union Minister said that India, with its vast coastline and islands, fully understands the challenges faced by Pacific Island Countries.
Yadav highlighted that India has developed a broad knowledge base and expertise in the area of ocean science through premier institutions and bodies like the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), and the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR).
He also stressed that India has developed knowledge and expertise in vulnerability assessment of coasts, mapping of shoreline changes, development of marine spatial plans, integrated management plans for coastal areas, and unlocking the potential of the Blue Economy, according to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Yadav further said that India is also using its space ecosystem, Earth-observation capabilities and space-based applications for shoreline monitoring, inundation assessment, cyclone and extreme-weather early warning, and climate-risk assessment. He offered to share this knowledge and expertise with its Pacific partners.
Reaffirming New Delhi's commitment to its Pacific partners, the Union Minister said that India is working closely with them in areas including health and wellness, renewable energy, resilient infrastructure, early warning, IT, agriculture and capacity building.
Referring to his visit to Tuvalu, Yadav said the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project was a strong reflection of how international cooperation, particularly the provision of means of implementation, can translate into tangible resilience on the ground, the Ministry mentioned.
The Union Minister reiterated that the experience has reinforced the importance of finding local solutions to emerging climate challenges.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
