Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida, said that climate and environment impact both biodiversity and land. He said that it is widely accepted that the world is facing a negative impact of climate change, which is also leading to land degradation.
"When we address degraded lands, we also address water scarcity. Augmenting water supply, enhancing water recharge, slowing down water run-off and retaining moisture in the soil are all parts of a holistic land and water strategy,” PM Modi said.
Modi further endorsed his government’s plan to end the use of single-use plastic in the coming years. He said that he believes that the time has come for the rest of the world to say good bye to single-use plastic as well.
He further said that India has also increased its green cover by 0.8 million hectares.
PM Modi, who flew to the venue in a chopper, was accompanied by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar and Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves.
Speaking ahead of the key convention, the Executive Secretary of UNCCD, Ibrahim Thiaw said a "good announcement" is expected from PM Modi on what India wants to do to fight desertification.
"The prime minister is expected to make his statement on Monday. I cannot tell you more. Please stay tuned. The prime minister will make his announcement. We are expecting a good announcement there," Thiaw told news agency PTI.
According to the India Today report, the COP, which began on 2 September, has the participation of 196 countries and the European Union (EU) with about 8,000 people attending it. The aim of the same is to identify viable solutions to the growing challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought.
(With inputs from PTI and India Today)
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