What is Y20’s Role?

In order for India's leadership of this summit to stand out among the youth cohort, the Y20 India Summit in 2023 would provide an opportunity to demonstrate its values and policy measures and serve as an example of its youth-centric efforts. The topics chosen for the summit will help India realize its goal of making the G20 summit truly participatory by showcasing Indian leadership on these issues to audiences both domestic and international.

The Y20 Zero Draft mentions,

“The challenges of global pandemics, supply chain shockwaves, rise in prices of commodities, the rising possibilities of a major recession battering people all over again in the near future, and the perpetual threat of regional conflicts converging to give rise to global ones, have sadly relegated the issue of focusing on climate literally at the bottom of the priority list for most countries. However, it has not stopped the effects of climate change creating devastation across the world. From unprecedented floods, rising temperatures in summers and threatening levels of particulate matter in air, the impact of climate change has never been felt so profoundly as is being felt now. For India with 135 crore population, it has been a never-ending challenge to maintain a balance between managing the climatic goals even while taking care of the aspirations and needs of the burgeoning population through increasing economic activities, building newer infrastructures to enhance connectivity and expanding the ability of the economy to absorb newer investments.”

How has India strengthened its Eco-Friendly Policies?

However, India has pioneered climate goals by, among other things, establishing the International Solar Alliance, setting stringent targets for itself in the realm of renewable energy capacity augmentation, initiating massive investments for developing a green hydrogen development ecosystem, banning single-use plastics, distributing LPG connections to 80 million households, and creating an institutional ecosystem for making electric vehicles viable. This, in spite of the significant obstacles that India must overcome. In addition, the Indian government has made unprecedented efforts to build the capacity of disaster response units like the NDRF and to promote disaster-resistant infrastructure. India is still one of the few countries in the world that has its own Central Police Force to respond to disasters in an emergency. In addition, India's forest cover has increased by 1540 sq km.

Active community involvement in environmental preservation has been an essential component of India's pursuit of sustainable development. The significance of conserving nature has been ingrained in the fundamental philosophy of the Indian people since time immemorial. However, a lot of that has withered over many centuries. However, we are now witnessing a renewed effort by the Indian government to strike a balance between conservation efforts and economic growth simultaneously.

In the Y20 Summits, this theme would primarily focus on the following areas as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

The themes and policies are:

● National Solar Mission

● National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency

● National Mission on Sustainable Habitat

● National Water Mission

● National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system

● National Mission for a Green India

● National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture

● National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change

Key Projects Under Execution to be Focused Upon

● International Solar Alliance

● Renewable Energy Push

● Push for Development of Green Hydrogen Development Ecosystem

● Ujjwala Yojana

● Push for Making Electric Vehicles a Preferred Option for Transport in Future

● Push for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

● Capacity Building of Disaster Response Forces

● Application of Space Tech for Disaster Mitigation

● Increase in Forest Space

● Ban on Single Use Plastic

● Push for Inland Waterways for Cargo Transport

● Community Participation in Conservation Efforts

● Institutional Recognition for Efforts of Individuals in Conservation Work

● Role of Start-ups in the Sustainable Development Front