President urges people to adopt environmentally conscious lifestyle

“Elders in every family worry about which school or college their children will study in and what career they will choose. While this worry is justified, we also have to think about what kind of air our children will breathe, what kind of water they will get to drink, whether they will get to hear the sounds of birds, and be able to experience the beauty of lush green forests. It is our moral responsibility to provide a legacy of a clean environment to the coming generations,” Murmu said. She said balancing the legacy of a clean environment and development is both an opportunity and challenge.

The president stressed that the basis of the Indian heritage of development is nourishment and not exploitation; protection and not elimination.

Murmu said that the NGT has played a decisive role in the field of environmental justice or climate justice. “Its historic decisions have a wide impact on our lives, our health, and the future of earth,” she said.

India reserves its right to grow responsibly: Minister

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said India cannot give up its right to ensure food, water, and energy due to climate anxiety gripping the world today and reserves its right to grow responsibly based on its national circumstances.Poverty eradication is the main problem for developing countries, and for that purpose, India cannot stop anything only on the basis of the environment, he added.

“India reserves its right to grow responsibly based on our national circumstances. It has met its Paris Agreement commitments on green energy nine years ahead of the 2030 target. But the climate anxiety which has gripped the world cannot force India to give up its right to ensure food, water, energy and quality for its 140 crore people,” Yadav said.

Yadav said that under the Paris climate agreement, climate action is to be based on national circumstances and it has to also address concerns of poverty alleviation. “Under the Paris Agreement, the world arrived at a consensus that the global community needs to unite to fight climate change, but the world also agreed that this fight must be based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. That is the main idea, and we are committed to that idea,” he stated.

Yadav added that India is striking a balance between its challenges and opportunities. “We are ramping up innovations in low-carbon technologies. We believe rapid economic growth is the best defence against climate change for developing nations. Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi is steering the nation towards green growth with programmes such as the National Green Hydrogen Mission,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Supreme Court judge Vikram Nath said the high pollution levels should be an urgent call of action to reduce emissions while achieving economic progress.

“The capital city of India regularly experiences high levels of pollution. I believe we can all agree that it is not acceptable for our children to grow up in an environment where they need masks to play outside or worry about respiratory ailments at a young age,” he said.

Attorney General of India R Venkataramani suggested that there should be a national commission on environment.

NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said that the conference aims to develop actionable solutions for a sustainable future and has brought together jurists, experts, and students.