Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (Dec 1) appealed to all the countries to work together towards drastically cutting down global emissions.
Speaking at the COP28 Summit in Dubai, the prime minister said that the emissions of India are very low in comparison to other countries with less population.
The Conference of Parties (COP) is a decision-making platform which carries out the review of the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
"India's population is 17 per cent of the global population, but in global carbon emissions India is only at 4 per cent. We are moving fast in achieving the NDC targets. In fact, we reached our non-fossil fuel targets nine years before the deadline," PM Modi said.
He was referring to the climate action plan called the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which is aimed at cutting emissions and adapting to climate impacts.
"We do not have much time to correct the mistakes of the last century," PM Modi said, and asked every country to sincerely work towards meeting their NDC targets.
Also read: India has walked the talk in climate action, says PM Modi as he departs for COP28
PM Modi announces 'Green Credit initiative'
Addressing world leaders, PM Modi said that India has set the target to cut down emissions intensity by nearly 45 per cent by 2030.
"We have decided to increase the share of non-fossil fuel to 50 per cent. We will also keep going ahead towards our goal of net zero by 2070," he said.
The prime minister announced a unique programme, which was introduced by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, from the COP28 stage.
Watch: COP28 Climate Summit 2023: 'We need to preserve the forests we have'
"Today, from this forum, I announce one more pro-planet, pro-active and positive initiative - Green Credit initiative," said PM Modi.
Two initiatives have been introduced by the Environment Ministry which indicate the country's proactive approach towards tackling climate change and sustainability.
They will take forward the 'LiFE' or Lifestyle for Environment movement, which was announced by PM Modi.
The "green credit" initiative is aimed at encouraging environmentally friendly practices, which have been part of the tradition as well as conservation, which reflect the ideas of the 'LiFE' movement.
(With inputs from agencies)