Urging the world leaders to act immediately to protect the environment at the UN Climate Action Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the time for talking is over and the world needs to act now. “We must accept that if we have to tackle the climate crisis, then what we are doing today is not enough. What we need is a global behavioral change," he added.
“Need, not greed has been our guiding principle. People’s movement is the need of the hour,” Modi said, announcing India’s decision to ban single-use plastic and hoping this would raise awareness of single-use plastic at the global level. “An ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of preaching,” he said in English in a brief address that was mainly in Hindi. He said India is going to increase the share of non-fossil fuel in its fuel mix and renewable energy capacity to 175 gigawatts by 2022, and further onwards to 450 gigawatts.
The surprise appearance of Donald Trump just as the Indian PM was speaking, created quite a flutter. The US president listened intently, and applauded some of his remarks. He left soon after the next speaker, Germany’s Angela Merkel, finished. While Modi has positioned himself as a climate warrior, Trump is a climate change sceptic who pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement.
While Trump’s presence at the climate change summit triggered speculation of a possible change of heart, the likelier explanation is that it was meant as another show of support for Modi, with whom he put on a great show of bonhomie in Houston. Modi also went on to thank Trump for joining him at the mega event. ''Dear Donald Trump, your presence at Howdy Modi in Houston was a watershed moment in India-USA ties,'' Narendra Modi tweeted hours after the 'Howdy Modi' event. PM Modi further thanked ''all those who came for the programme''. ''The event was lively and showcased the special features of Indian culture and accomplishments of the Indian diaspora,'' he tweeted.
