Welcoming India\u2019s efforts to confront climate change, the United Nations Secretary-General\u2019s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael Bloomberg, said today that the country was incredibly well placed to capitalise on the benefits of renewable energy.<\/p>\n
Noting the Government\u2019s plan to install about 100 gigawatts of solar power across the country by 2022, Mr. Bloomberg pointed to the major development benefits that the country could achieve, given the large amount of solar radiation it gets and the reduced level of infrastructure needed to pump solar energy into people\u2019s homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine the signal it would send to the world if India were able to achieve its goal of bringing electricity to every household that lacks it, largely using clean solar power \u2013 at a fraction of the cost of the conventional grid.,\u201d said the Special Envoy during his keynote address to the \u2018RE-Invest\u2019 conference, aimed at scaling-up financing for renewable energy. \u201cIt would be a success story told \u2013 and copied \u2013 around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Bloomberg joined leading renewables and investment professionals from India and across the world at the RE-Invest conference, as part of a two-day visit to the country in which he advocated for increased renewables, smarter cities, sustainable transport and urban climate adaptation.<\/p>\n
He arrived at the Conference in a rickshaw powered by compressed natural gas, which is a far cleaner alternative to the fuels that make Delhi one of the most polluted cities in South Asia. He noted that most of the world\u2019s total carbon emissions stem from cities and sources like buildings, transportation and waste, over which at least limited control can be exerted.<\/p>\n
\u201cSteps to make those systems more efficient also make cities better places to live,\u201d he said, stressing the difference such investments could make. \u201cIn New York City, we were able to reduce our carbon footprint by 19 percent in just six years while also making our air cleaner than it has been in more than 50 years, increasing life expectancy by three years, and leading the U.S. in creating new jobs. And India can do the same for its citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Bloomberg, who was mayor of New York for 12 years, said that those gains came not in spite of investments in sustainability but because of them and he stressed that the most effective economic policies for India would be those that improved people\u2019s health and quality of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact is: People want to live in cities with clean air and water, good public transportation, and streets that are safe for walking and biking. And where people want to live, businesses want to invest,\u201d he said. \u201cThe good news is, as Prime Minister Modi is showing, confronting climate change goes hand-in-hand with smart economic growth. And from my experience, he is absolutely correct to make cities a central focus of his work.\u201d<\/p>\n
With countries coming to Paris this December to reach a new climate change agreement, Mr. Bloomberg said that no country will commit to goals they don\u2019t think they can reach, or that come at too great a cost to economic growth. However, countries are continuing to move forward because they realise the benefits of action \u2013 for their economies and the health of their citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndia\u2019s leadership is helping to show other countries how much is possible \u2013 by showing that clean-energy, climate-resilient growth is the path to a brighter future,\u201d Mr. Bloomberg said. \u201cWe\u2019re all in this together, and we have a great deal to learn from one another.\u201d<\/p>\n