Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the International Conference on "The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics" organized by the National Green Tribunal, highlighting India's significant environmental achievements and initiatives over the past 12 years. The speech emphasized India's position as having per capita carbon emissions less than half the global average, while developed countries' emissions are six times higher than India's.
India has made extraordinary progress in renewable energy, with solar capacity growing from 2 gigawatts to over 160 gigawatts in 12 years. The PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme has facilitated the installation of rooftop solar panels in more than 5 million households, with government financial assistance of up to ₹80,000 per household. Through the KUSUM scheme, 3 million farmers have received solar pumps. These solar initiatives alone have prevented nearly 200 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
In clean energy, wind energy capacity has tripled, hydropower capacity has significantly increased, and the country is rapidly advancing nuclear energy generation with pathways for private sector participation. Non-fossil energy capacity has nearly quadrupled, and coal gasification technologies are being promoted for cleaner coal use.
Clean mobility initiatives show remarkable progress: electric vehicle sales increased from fewer than 3,000 units before 2014 to nearly 2.5 million units last year—a 950-fold increase. India launched its first hydrogen train, described as the world's longest, marking a new era in clean mobility. Infrastructure developments include metro networks expanding from less than 250 kilometers in 5 cities to over 1,000 kilometers across more than 20 cities. Nearly 100% railway electrification has avoided billions of liters of diesel consumption, while the newly inaugurated 3,000-kilometer Dedicated Freight Corridor and double-stack container trains significantly reduce environmental impact. Approximately 5,000 kilometers of waterways now support environment-friendly transportation.
Water conservation efforts include the construction of over 70,000 Amrit Sarovars and nearly 15 million water harvesting structures through the Catch the Rain campaign. The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana connects over 20 million farmers with modern irrigation facilities. Initiatives like Per Drop More Crop and promotion of millets (Shri Anna) have saved water while increasing production and exports to approximately 150,000 tonnes, leading to the UN declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
Forest coverage has improved significantly, with very dense forest cover increasing by more than 22% in 12 years. The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign has planted crores of trees across the country. To address plastic waste, India has banned single-use plastic and promotes a circular economy through reduce, reuse, and recycle initiatives, with thousands of tonnes of waste recycled daily. The Gobardhan Yojana converts cow dung and organic waste into useful resources under the Waste to Wealth model.
Agricultural advancements include the National Mission on Natural Farming developing 24,000 clusters across 1.25 million hectares and nearly 3,000 varieties of climate-resilient crops. Agro-forestry is being promoted to reduce carbon footprints.
India has established global platforms including the International Solar Alliance, CDRI, Global Biofuel Alliance, International Big Cat Alliance, and Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), demonstrating its commitment to climate solutions. The PM noted that India is the only G20 country to have fulfilled all its COP-21 Paris commitments ahead of schedule.