As he urged public engagement and teamwork in the fight against climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked that an idea becomes a broad movement when it spreads from ‘discussion tables to dinner tables’.
Additionally, he stated in a video address to world leaders on Friday that the environment will be greatly benefited when people realise the power of small actions in daily life.
“People across the world hear a lot about climate change. Many of them feel a lot of anxiety because they do not know what they can do about it. They are constantly made to feel that only governments or global institutions have a role. If they learn that they can also contribute, their anxiety will turn into action,” Mr. Modi said while addressing the World Bank-organised “Making it Personal: How behavioural change can tackle climate change” conference.
Mr. Modi praised the World Bank for arranging the conference on the impact of behavioural change on climate change, saying it was wonderful to see the subject become a worldwide movement.
Mr. Modi cited the “Mission Life” project, which was introduced by him and the U.N. secretary general in October of last year, claiming that it aims to democratise the fight against climate change.
“Climate change cannot be fought from conference tables alone. It has to be fought from the dinner tables in every home,” he told the conference being held on the sidelines of the annual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
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“When an idea moves from discussion tables to dinner tables, it becomes a mass movement. Making every family and every individual aware that their choices can help the planet can provide scale and speed,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi said when people become conscious that simple acts in their daily lives are powerful, there will be a very positive impact on the environment. The people of India have done a lot in this matter in the last few years, he said.
“People-driven efforts improved the sex ratio in many parts of India. It was the people who led a massive cleanliness drive. Be it rivers, beaches or roads, they are ensuring public places are free of litter. And, it was the people who made the switch to LED bulbs a success. Nearly 370 million LED bulbs have been sold in India. This helps in avoiding nearly 39 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide emissions every year,” the Prime Minister said.
The farmers of India ensured the coverage of nearly seven hundred thousand hectares of farmland by micro-irrigation. Fulfilling the mantra of ‘Per Drop More Crop’, this has saved a huge amount of water, he pointed out.
“Under Mission Life, our efforts are spread across many domains such as: Making local bodies environment-friendly, saving water, saving energy, reducing waste, and e-waste, adopting healthy lifestyles, adoption of natural farming, promotion of millets,” Mr. Modi said.
These efforts will save over 22 billion units of energy, save nine trillion litres of water, reduce waste by 375 million tons, recycle almost one million tons of e-waste, and generate around 170 million dollars of additional cost saving by 2030, he said.
Story adapted from The Hindus
