India Intends to Partner with UN to Promote Solar Energy

While expressing his optimism and hope Syed said that by the next year’s World Environment Day commemoration, solar energy will be part of the energy mix used in the UN headquarters.

As part of the efforts to protect and preserve the environment, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said, that the country aims to partner with the UN to use solar energy.

“Every action counts as we seek to protect and preserve our environment. All of us have a collective responsibility towards this. As part of these efforts India is happy to inform that it intends to partner with the UN Secretariat to use renewable solar energy at the UN premises,” Akbaruddin said at the commemoration of World Environment Day.

While expressing his optimism and hope Syed said that by the next year’s World Environment Day commemoration, solar energy will be part of the energy mix used in the UN headquarters.

Speaking at the event, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a healthy planet was essential for a prosperous and peaceful future, asserting that everyone has a role to play in “protecting our only home”.

“Our world is swamped by harmful plastic waste. Every year, more than eight million tonnes end up in the oceans,” he said.

Guterres encouraged everyone to also stop using plastic products which are designed just to be thrown away such as plastic bottles. “Refuse what you can’t re-use. Together, we can chart a path to a cleaner, greener world,” he said.

The World Environment Day was first celebrated in 1974 and since then it has helped in raising awareness and generating momentum around the globe. It has also raised awareness regarding the concerns such as ozone depletion, desertification, and global warming.

Syed while highlighting the efforts undertaken by India said “Kochi airport became the first airport in the world in 2015 to run completely on solar power.

Similarly, the distribution of 300 million LED bulbs in three years has resulted in savings of two billion dollars and 4GW of electricity, he said.

A symbol of multi-lateral unity, the International Solar Alliance, launched by India and France in 2015, now has more than 60 member states, he added.

PTI