Punjab signs pact for climate action

Chandigarh, July 28 (IANS) In an initiative to check global warming, the Punjab government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for becoming the member of the global network called Under2 Coalition to address climate change, it was announced on Thursday.

With this pact, Punjab has become a member of largest network of 221 states or provincial governments of 43 countries committed to reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, adopted at a UN climate change summit in Paris in 2015.

State Environment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said the signing of the MoU becomes all more relevant when impacts of climate change are unprecedented in scale like shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding and associated health related issues.

India is also among the high-risk countries as it ranked seventh in the Global Climate Risk Index 2021.

The minister hoped that collaboration would help in harnessing the strategic knowledge and technical support for undertaking comprehensive activities for combating climate change.

Hayer reiterated the state's commitment to build a robust climate-resilient ecosystem and convert the climate vulnerabilities into opportunities.

He emphasised that the state government is keen to collaborate with international and national organization agencies to address state-specific climate change concerns.

The MoU was signed by Manish Kumar, Director, Environment and Climate Change on behalf of the government, and Divya Sharma, India Executive Director, Climate Group on behalf of Under2 Coalition.