CM Nitish Kumar shares Bihar's sustainable development efforts at UN climate meet

(Image courtesy: Twitter)

New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday participated in the virtual high-level Roundtable on Climate Ambition, hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Kumar, the only leader from India invited to the meet, shared his state's policy initiatives and sustainable development efforts, including climate resilient agriculture and water conservation.

"Considering the impacts of climate change in Bihar, in the form of erratic pattern of rainfall, extreme heat, falling groundwater level, drought and flash floods, we have developed our growth strategy around water conservation and greening initiatives under the 'Jal Jeevan Hariyaali Abhiyaan'," Kumar said in his video address.

Kumar was speaking in the segment titled 'Aligning Nationally Determined Contributions, long-term low emission development strategies, COVID-19 recovery packages and business plans with the 1.5C and carbon neutrality by 2050 goals.'

Nitish Kumar said Bihar, which has two per cent of the world's population, is an important stakeholder in contributing to the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius.

"Our policy initiatives, including climate resilient agriculture, conservation of surface and ground water, solar energy, clean fuel and biodiversity conservation is leading our growth approach to sustainable development," he said.

He asserted that his government firmly believes that any form of life is possible only when there is water and green cover.

Meanwhile, Guterres called for every government, business, civil and international organisation in the world to develop a transition plan to net-zero emissions, and boost ambition in finance and adoption as an equal priority to cutting emissions, and the only way to reach the 1.5C temperature goal.

"All actors - governments, cities and companies, NGOs and international organisations need to have their own transition plans to net-zero before 2050," said the UN chief.