New Delhi: India today called for a "global
consensus" on a sustainable environment policy while allowing
policy space to all countries to strategise as per their
requirements.
Minister of State for Environment Jayanthi Natarajan said
that countries should "define their sustainable development
strategies as per their national priorities and respective
stages of development".
Natarajan was addressing the two-day Delhi Ministerial
Dialogue on Green Economy and Inclusive Growth here.
Both poverty and conspicuous consumption were issues that
had to be addressed in tandem, Natarajan said.
Speaking of the Indian context, Natarajan said, "Although
we have achieved a great deal, considerable challenges remain
in the area of poverty eradication."
"Fifty-five per cent of population of rural India today
does not have access to electricity," she said.
"The challenge of scale up of cleaner energy solutions
gets further compounded by limited access to green
technologies at affordable cost," Natarajan said.
She said that countries should avoid using environment
concerns to further their economic interests. "Avoid green
protectionism in the name of green economy," she said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, October 03, 2011, 16:56