CALI, OCT 23 – India has called for reviving the SAARC Malé Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution while submitting its updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) at the UN biodiversity conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia.
India’s Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh, emphasised the importance of regional cooperation in tackling air pollution, particularly as cities like New Delhi and Lahore continue to record dangerous air quality levels.
“Since climate change does not recognise any national or political boundaries, we need an inclusive and collective approach that involves all governments,” Singh said during a prominent side event at the conference in the Blue Zone, an area designated for negotiations and dialogues between member countries and accredited observers.
India became the second SAARC country, after Afghanistan, to submit its update NBSAP. The plan includes achievements such as “planting 98 million trees” and “efforts to conserve and restore India’s coastline”. China and other Asian countries submitted their updated plans ahead of COP16.
Pakistan’s representation was limited to a single official delegate, Naeem Ashraf Raja, director of the Biodiversity Programme at the Ministry of Climate Change. The country did not submit its updated biodiversity plans.
Responding warmly to a query from The Citizenry, Singh reiterated India’s readiness to assist neighbouring countries in updating their NBSAPs, including sharing knowledge, capacity building and infrastructure support.
The minister looked smart in this three-piece suit, a scarf hanging from his neck, speaking confidently to reporters in a chilly conference room. Far removed from the sweltering heat of his workplace in the heart of New Delhi, he was a study in contrasts: cool and composed amid the cold while his work in the Indian capital remained hot and intense.
He stressed that biodiversity conservation “must be integrated into broader, environmental and developmental strategies to combat climate change, reduce land degradation and promote sustainable livelihood”.
The minister advocated for a two-pronged approach to address regional air quality issues, emphasising the need for alternative solutions for farmers and strong legal frameworks within each country. “If issues such as pollution are not addressed there can be no ‘Peace with Nature,’” he said, referencing the COP16 theme.
The air quality crisis has already prompted action in Pakistan, where Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced plans to engage in diplomatic efforts with India. “Winds don’t recognise borders,” she said on Wednesday while inaugurating Super Seeders under the CM Punjab Smog Control Programme at Kala Shah Kaku, Sheikhupura.
Elegantly clad in red and white ensemble, she emphasised that this is not a political issue but a humanitarian one, mentioning her plan to write a letter to her Indian counterpart, Bhagwant Mann.
Earlier this week, the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority declared smog a calamity under Section 3 of the Punjab Calamities Act, 1958.
The CBD COP16 summit, recognised as the world’s critical event for biodiversity conservation, continues in Cali until November 1. The conference aims to protect ecosystems and strengthen global environmental policies in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), a landmark plan to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
The framework builds on previous initiatives set by earlier conferences, including the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, envisioning a world where biodiversity is conserved and widely used by 2050, with specific global targets for 2030.
Header image by Oonib Azam
Sub edited by Maleeha Hamid Siddiqui
This story was produced as part of the 2024 CBD COP16 Fellowship organized by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.
The story is worth reading , creates awareness and the importance among countries involved , suffering from this agony and needs to seriously focus and act timely on this important matter in order to solve this .problems for our coming generations.