United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres ji, Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel ji, External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar ji, all other dignitaries from the country and abroad, ladies and gentlemen! A warm welcome to all of you on this glorious land. For Mr. Antonio Guterres, India is like a second home. You have also traveled to India many times in your youth. You also have family ties with Goa. I feel that I am welcoming a member of my own family to Gujarat today. Mr. Antonio Guterres, thank you very much for coming here! Heartiest greetings to you! I am glad that since the launch of Mission LiFE, many countries are now associated with this resolution. I would like to thank the President of France Shri Macron, Prime Minister of the UK Liz Truss, President of Guyana Irfaan Ali, President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth, President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina, Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Ji, Brother Solih from Maldives, the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili and the Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas.
Friends,
This event is being held in the vicinity of our national pride which is the Statue of Unity, a colossal statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. I believe that unity is the most important factor against climate change. The world's largest statue will inspire us to set high environmental goals and to fulfil them.
Friends,
When the standards are high, the records are bound to be enormous. Organizing this event in Gujarat holds a lot of importance. And this is a perfectly suitable place too. Gujarat is one of the states in India which first started taking a lot of steps towards Renewable Energy and Environment Protection. Be it installing solar panels on canals, or campaigning for water conservation to raise water levels in drought-prone areas, Gujarat has always been a leader or a trendsetter.
Friends,
It is generally believed that climate change is a policy related matter. But as soon as we start looking at this issue from the point of view of a policy, inadvertently our mind will start thinking that only the government is supposed to do something about it or the international organizations should take some action on it. It is true that the government and the international institutions play a major role in it and they are also trying to handle it. But we all can see that now the seriousness of this issue is no longer confined only to the discussion table but has reached every corner of the world and every household today.
People are beginning to feel the changes happening around them due to climate change. In the last few decades, we have seen how the impact has intensified and have also faced unforeseen calamities. Today our glaciers are melting and sea level is rising. Our rivers are drying up and the climate is becoming erratic. And these changes are making people think that the issue of climate change cannot be left at the policy marking level only. People themselves have started realizing that as an individual, a family and a community, they should take some responsibility for the planet earth and do something on a personal level. People want to know what steps they can take at individual level or together with family and community, so that the earth can be protected?
The answer to all these questions lies in Mission LiFE. Mission LiFE's mantra is 'Lifestyle for Environment'. Today I am presenting this vision of Mission LiFE to the world with the hope that every individual on this planet earth puts his or her effort. Mission LiFE connects the powers of the people for the protection of this earth and teaches them to utilize it in a better way. Mission LiFE makes the fight against climate change democratic in which everyone can contribute according to his or her capacity. Mission LiFE believes that even small efforts can have a huge impact. Mission LiFE inspires us to do all that can be done in our everyday life to protect the environment. Mission LiFE believes that the environment can be protected by changing our lifestyle. I want to give you two very interesting examples. You must have seen that some people set the temperature of the AC to 17 degree Celsius or 18 degree Celsius. But after lowering the temperature of the AC, these people sleep with blankets or quilts. Every 1 degree celsius of temperature lowered in AC can have a negative impact on the environment. But we can save the environment if we try. That is, if we change our lifestyle, it will be a big help to the environment. Let me give another example of our Lifestyle. Some people go to the gym in their car that has an average mileage of 5 kilometres per liter; and then sweat it out on the treadmill in the gym. Now if your aim is to sweat out, then why don't you simply do that by walking or cycling up to the gym? This way both the environment and our health would be benefitted.
Friends,
This is how small efforts of an individual and the society can bring major results by changing the lifestyle. I want to share another example. In India, we had urged the countrymen to use more and more LED bulbs a few years back. The aim was to reduce the electricity bill of the people, reduce the cost of electricity and also protect the environment. The government started a scheme of LED bulbs and the private sector of the country also became a part of it. International experts who have come there today will be surprised to know that within a short time, people of India have installed more than 160 crore LED bulbs in their homes! Consequently, we could cut down more than 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. And kindly note that this is happening every year. This is not just a one-time achievement! It is helping us every year. Due to the LEDs now, every year emissions have started decreasing a lot!
Friends,
Gujarat is Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace. So he was one of those thinkers who completely understood the importance of conserving the environment and living life in harmony with nature. He had developed the concept of Trusteeship. Mission LiFE makes all the stakeholders trustees of the environment. Trustee is someone who does not allow the indiscriminate use of resources. A Trustee does not act as an exploiter but as a protector. Mission LiFE will strengthen the concept of P3. P3 means Pro Planet People. Today we are living in a world where we talk about groupism i.e. which country is in which group or against which country or group. But Mission LiFE connects the people of the earth as Pro Planet People, uniting them in their thoughts. It functions on the basic principle of 'Lifestyle of the planet, for the planet and by the planet'.
Friends,
We can build a better future only by learning from the past. India has a rich tradition of worshipping nature for thousands of years. The importance of water, land, air and all the natural things has been accurately explained in our Vedas. For example, the Atharvaveda says: माता भूमिः पुत्रोऽहं पृथिव्याः। That is, the earth is our mother and we are her children. 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle' and circular economy have been a part of our Indian lifestyle for thousands of years. And we all know that in many parts of the world, in many countries, such practices are still prevalent today, which inspire us to walk in harmony with nature. Mission LiFE will encompass every lifestyle related to the conservation of nature, which our ancestors adopted, and that can be made a part of our lifestyle today.
Friends,
Today, the annual per capita carbon footprint in India is only about 1.5 tonnes, compared to the world average of 4 tonnes per year. Nevertheless, India is committed to tackling a global issue like climate change. It had started the Ujjwala scheme to get rid of the smoke of coal and wood. Keeping in mind the water security, we are running a massive campaign to build 75 'Amrit Sarovars' in every district of India today. Unprecedented emphasis is being laid on 'waste to wealth' here. Today, India has the fourth largest renewable energy capacity in the world. Today we are ranked number four in wind energy and number five in solar energy. India's renewable energy capacity has increased by about 290 percent in the last 7-8 years. We have also met the target of achieving 40 percent of the electric capacity from non-fossil-fuel sources 9 years ahead of the deadline. We have also achieved the target of 10 percent ethanol blending in petrol, and that too 5 months before the deadline. Now India is working on the target of 20 percent ethanol blending in petrol. India is also moving very fast towards eco-friendly energy sources for the Hydrogen Ecosystem, and Gujarat is turning into a hub for this green hydrogen. This will go a long way in helping India and many countries of the world achieve their goal of 'net zero'.
Friends,
Today India is not only progressing but also providing solutions to live in harmony with nature and setting a good example. Today India has become the fifth largest economy in the world but at the same time our forest area is expanding and the number of wild animals is also increasing continuously. India now wants to extend its partnership with the world even more. Campaigns like 'One Sun, One World, One Grid' are strengthening our resolve towards such goals. By taking lead in the formation of 'Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure', India has made the world aware of its idea towards environmental protection. Mission LiFE is a next step in this direction.
Friends,
Secretary General Antonio Guterres would agree with me that whenever India and the United Nations have worked together, new ways of making the world a better place have been found. India had proposed International Yoga Day, which was supported by the United Nations. Today because of the support of the United Nations, yoga has become an inspiration to crores of people around the world to lead a healthy life. One such example is the International Year of Millets. India wanted to familiarize the world with its traditional and eco-friendly, coarse cereals. The United Nations also supported this. We are going to celebrate the International Year of Millets next year, but the discussion related to it has already started all over the world. I am sure that with the support of the United Nations, Mission LiFE will be a huge success and it can be taken to every corner of the world, every country and every citizen. We have to remember this mantra – प्रकृति रक्षति रक्षिता। That is, those who protect nature are protected by nature. I believe that with this Mission LiFE, we will be able to build a better world. Once again I express my gratitude to all of you and I once again extend my heartfelt thanks to the UN for this support. Thank you.
