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NEW DELHI: Emphasising on people’s participation to deal with one of the critical challenges of the 21st century, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the climate change cannot be fought from conference tables alone as it has to be fought from the dinner tables in every home. He pitched for the need of financial assistance to support environment-friendly behavioural initiatives at individual levels.
“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 while addressing the World Bank event – ‘Making it Personal: How Behavioral Change Can Tackle Climate Change’ – via video message.
Modi used the occasion to propagate the message of Mission LiFE (lifestyle for environment) which India launched last year to drive the world towards mindful use of resources.
Referring to the World Bank Group’s proposed increase in climate finance from 26% to 35%, as a share of total financing, Modi said that the focus of this climate finance is usually on conventional aspects. “Adequate financing methods need to be worked out for behavioural initiatives too. A show of support by the World Bank towards behavioural initiatives such as Mission LiFE will have a multiplier effect”, he concluded.
“Mission LiFE is about democratising the battle against climate change. When people become conscious that simple acts in their daily lives are powerful, there will be a very positive impact on the environment,” said the Prime Minister.
Quoting the ancient India philosopher, economist and royal advisor in Mauryan dynasty, Chanakya, the Prime Minister underlined the importance of the small deeds and said, “By itself, each good deed for the planet may seem insignificant. But when billions across the world do it together, the impact is huge. We believe that individuals making the right decisions for our planet are key in the battle for our planet. This is the core of Mission LiFE.”
Talking about the genesis of the LiFE movement, the Prime Minister recalled what he spoke about the need for behavioural change at the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 and mentioned that the preamble to the outcome document of the 27th session of the UN climate conference (COP27 held at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt last year) also speaks about sustainable lifestyle and consumption.
Noting that if people understand that it is not just the government but they too can contribute, the Prime Minister pointed out that “their (people’s) anxiety will turn into action.”
Illustrating his thinking by referring to examples from India, Modi said, “In this matter of mass movements and behaviour transformation, the people of India have done a lot in the last few years.”
He gave examples of improved sex ratio, massive cleanliness drive, adoption of LED bulbs which helps in avoiding nearly 39 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide emissions every year, saving water by coverage of nearly seven hundred thousand hectares of farmland by micro-irrigation.
The Prime Minister informed that under Mission LIFE, the government’s 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.
These efforts, he said, 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 of additional cost savings by 2030.
“Further, it will help use reduce the wastage of 15 billion tons of food,” he said while underlining its scale specifically while compared to the global primary crop production of 9 billion tons in 2020 (FAO data).
The Prime Minister also emphasised that the global institutions have an important role to play in encouraging countries across the world.
“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 while addressing the World Bank event – ‘Making it Personal: How Behavioral Change Can Tackle Climate Change’ – via video message.
Modi used the occasion to propagate the message of Mission LiFE (lifestyle for environment) which India launched last year to drive the world towards mindful use of resources.
Referring to the World Bank Group’s proposed increase in climate finance from 26% to 35%, as a share of total financing, Modi said that the focus of this climate finance is usually on conventional aspects. “Adequate financing methods need to be worked out for behavioural initiatives too. A show of support by the World Bank towards behavioural initiatives such as Mission LiFE will have a multiplier effect”, he concluded.
“Mission LiFE is about democratising the battle against climate change. When people become conscious that simple acts in their daily lives are powerful, there will be a very positive impact on the environment,” said the Prime Minister.
Quoting the ancient India philosopher, economist and royal advisor in Mauryan dynasty, Chanakya, the Prime Minister underlined the importance of the small deeds and said, “By itself, each good deed for the planet may seem insignificant. But when billions across the world do it together, the impact is huge. We believe that individuals making the right decisions for our planet are key in the battle for our planet. This is the core of Mission LiFE.”
Talking about the genesis of the LiFE movement, the Prime Minister recalled what he spoke about the need for behavioural change at the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 and mentioned that the preamble to the outcome document of the 27th session of the UN climate conference (COP27 held at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt last year) also speaks about sustainable lifestyle and consumption.
Noting that if people understand that it is not just the government but they too can contribute, the Prime Minister pointed out that “their (people’s) anxiety will turn into action.”
Illustrating his thinking by referring to examples from India, Modi said, “In this matter of mass movements and behaviour transformation, the people of India have done a lot in the last few years.”
He gave examples of improved sex ratio, massive cleanliness drive, adoption of LED bulbs which helps in avoiding nearly 39 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide emissions every year, saving water by coverage of nearly seven hundred thousand hectares of farmland by micro-irrigation.
The Prime Minister informed that under Mission LIFE, the government’s 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.
These efforts, he said, 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 of additional cost savings by 2030.
“Further, it will help use reduce the wastage of 15 billion tons of food,” he said while underlining its scale specifically while compared to the global primary crop production of 9 billion tons in 2020 (FAO data).
The Prime Minister also emphasised that the global institutions have an important role to play in encouraging countries across the world.
