Debate sustainable lifestyle at Paris conference: Prakash Javadekar

5 Dariya News

New Delhi 07-Sep-2015

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has advocated a debate on sustainable lifestyle at the Climate Change Conference (COP-21) in Paris in December, an official statement said on Monday."The world must debate seriously the sustainable lifestyle issue, as only sustainable lifestyle can mitigate the challenge of climate change," the statement quoted Javadekar as saying at an informal COP-21 meeting in Paris."Technology may bring forth some solutions, but we must ensure that the needs of seven billion people are met on a sustainable basis. Greed and unsustainable lifestyle should have no place in a new world regime to fight climate change and its ill-effects," he added.Denouncing the "unsustainable" lifestyle adopted by developed countries, the minister said Indians believed in need-based consumption and were against extravagant consumption.

"We have an ingrained sense of responsibility where wasteful consumption is abhorred. Therefore, the Paris conference must include a debate on lifestyles," he said.Citing a report, Javadekar said the ecological footprint of developed countries ranges from 8 to 4 whereas India has only 0.9."India and other developing countries have priority for eradication of poverty. They cannot be asked to compromise on that goal in the name of climate change. Every poor of the world has the right to emerge out of poverty, and poor and developing countries need sufficient carbon space to ensure sustainable development," he said."As climate change impacts the poorer and vulnerable sections severely, we must ensure climate justice."