India joins 70-nation group to protect environment

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 7

India today officially joined the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, a group of more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of global goal to protect at least 30 per cent the of world’s land and ocean by 2030 (30 x 30). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Rameshwar Prasad Gupta handed over the signed agreement in that regard to French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain.

A game-changer

India joining the High Ambition Coalition is a real game-changer. — Emmanuel Lenain, French Ambassador

HAC members currently include a mix of countries in the global north and south, European, Latin American, African and Asian countries. India is the first member of the BRICS bloc to join the HAC. India’s announcement comes in the lead up to a high-level biodiversity meeting, hosted by China. The virtual meeting between October 11 and 15 will tackle key aspects of the biodiversity treaty to be finalised in 2022. The global 30x30 goal is currently a centrepiece of the treaty. Gupta said resource mobilisation would always be the cornerstone for the implementation of policies and programmes for conserving biodiversity.