If the world meets the climate challenge, it will result in shifts in economies and significant impacts on people, families and communities

Expressing hope in India’s leadership on solar and industry transition, a senior United Nations official has said that the world can achieve its climate goals advising the governments across the world to pursue a recovery that is sustainable, resilient, fair and job-rich as the world looks forward to restarting the economy.

Speaking at the webinar ‘People and Climate- Just Transition in Practice’ last week, UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed said, “India’s leadership on solar and the industry transition is reason to believe that we can achieve our climate goals.”

According to a Hindustan Times report, Amina Mohammed called the developments in the area of tackling climate change, ‘encouraging news.’

“Today there is encouraging news: Japan and the Republic of Korea, together with more than 110 other countries, have now pledged carbon neutrality by 2050. China says it will do so before 2060,” she said.

She said that the world can look up to the European Union and its member states for leadership in achieving climate change as it has always done. The EU, she said, had a strong history of leadership on climate action, including the commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

“It is essential that the European Union delivers on its promise to adopt a new climate target this year, by coming forward with a baseline of reducing emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030,” she said.

It is also crucial for the European Union to accelerate its transition toward renewable energy, she added.

As the governments look forward to opening and restarting their economies in post-COVID era, it is important that they look for sustainable, resilient, fair and job-rich recovery.

“The notion that we must choose between climate action and economic strength has been proven wrong. Investments in renewable energy yield three times more jobs than investments in fossil fuels,” she said.

She said that if the world meets the climate challenge, it will result in shifts in our economies, significant impacts on people, families and communities and advised the governments to initiate a managed transition.

“A just transition cannot be an afterthought; it is an integral part of climate action and a responsibility for all of us,” she said.

She advised all the stakeholders to develop credible and just transition plans.