India, France commit to tackling climate change stronger than ever: joint statement

Paris, May 5 (PTI) India and France have vowed that they are committed to tackling climate change stronger than ever and discussed a partnership to ensure that environment-friendly technologies could be developed together to address the pressing global challenge.

As renewable energy development is one of the key solutions for this transition, India and France reiterated their continued support for the objectives of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), according to a joint statement issued by the two countries after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron here on Wednesday.

The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilise efforts against climate change through the deployment of solar energy solutions. It was presented by the leaders of the two countries at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015.

"Seven years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement and the joint launch of the ISA, India and France’s commitment to tackle climate change is stronger than ever, both on mitigation and adaptation," the statement said.

"As renewable energy development is one of the key solutions for this transition, India and France reiterate their continued support to the objectives of the ISA. India and France also agreed to explore opportunities to jointly work on just energy transition pathways including under G7 to accelerate the deployment of renewables and access to affordable and sustainable energy," it said.

Going a step forward in this commitment to clean energy, India invited France to participate in its initiative to make India a Green Hydrogen Hub under its National Hydrogen Mission, the statement said.

Modi launched the National Hydrogen Mission on India's 75th Independence Day, August 15, 2021. The Mission aims to aid the government in meeting its climate targets and making India a green hydrogen hub.

India and France are eager to foster cooperation on decarbonised hydrogen, including on aspects related to regulation, certification and standardisation of such hydrogen in order to build robust industrial partnerships and agreed to soon finalise a roadmap to take forward this cooperation, the statement said.

Both the sides will work together to set up industrial partnerships to reinforce their own solar energy production capacities in order to supply Asian and European markets, with an integrated supply chain, it said.

"India and France go back a very long time in terms of their partnership on environment conservation, climate action etc," Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary told reporters at a briefing after Modi-and Macron held talks.

"Both the leaders discussed how the two countries can partner together more strongly so that environmentally friendly technologies, the green technologies can be brought together in terms of the capacities of France and capacities of India can be brought together in order to really address this global challenge that we all face," he said.

India and France also welcomed the efforts made by AFD (the French Development Agency) and India Exim Bank to step up their support for sustainable finance in the Indo-Pacific region and agreed to intensify their cooperation in this area.

The "Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership” adopted in February this year, displays both sides’ common ambition to promote a sustainable approach in the Indo-Pacific region through the development of protected areas and natural parks.

Both the countries also expressed satisfaction at the adoption of the bilateral roadmap on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance and committed to accelerating its implementation and will jointly support the progress of the Intergovernmental Conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), a key step to ensure the protection of the high seas.