India vows to make farming less polluting

INDIA is among 27 countries to sign up to a sustainable agriculture action agenda as the first week of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow concluded, with the country committing to make farming more sustainable and less polluting.

Participating countries said they would invest in the science needed for sustainable agriculture and for protecting food supplies against climate change.

“If we are to limit global warming and keep the goal of 1.5 degree Celsius alive, then the world needs to use land sustainably and put protection and restoration of nature at the heart of all we do,” said Alok Sharma, the Indian-origin UK cabinet minister, in his role as the president of COP26.

“The commitments being made today show that nature and land use is being recognised as essential to meeting the Paris Agreement goals and will contribute to addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Meanwhile, as we look ahead to negotiations in week two of COP, I urge all parties to come to the table with the constructive compromises and ambitions needed,” he said.

On Saturday (6), COP26 delegates clinched the ‘Sustainable Agriculture Policy Action Agenda for the Transition to Sustainable Agriculture and Global Action Agenda for Innovation in Agriculture'.

Besides India, other countries which signed up to the action plan include Australia, Uganda, Madagascar, Tanzania, Vietnam, Nigeria, Lesotho, Laos, Indonesia, Guinea, Ghana, Germany, Philippines, Ethiopia, the UK, Colombia, Costa Rica, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Spain, Switzerland and the UAE.

The announcement followed Ocean Action Day on Friday (5) when 10 countries signed up to the "30by30" target to protect 30 per cent of the world's ocean by 2030.

These included India, Bahrain, Jamaica, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Samoa, Tonga, Gambia and Georgia. In all, the target is now supported by more than 100 countries.

Among other developments, the World Bank will commit to spending $25 billion in climate finance annually to 2025 through its Climate Action Plan, including a focus on agriculture and food systems.

(PTI)