Climate technology must be open source, available at affordable cost: Prakash Javadekar

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said just like the world is unitedly engaged in finding a vaccine for COVID-19, countries should work towards making climate technology an open source which must be available at affordable cost.

He was speaking during the first virtual interaction with 30 countries in the 11th session of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue.

India along with 30 other countries participated in the dialogue, deliberating over ways and means to tackle the challenge of reinvigorating economies and societies after COVID-19, while enhancing collective resilience and catalysing climate action as well as supporting particularly those that are most vulnerable.

"Today, as the world is unitedly engaged in finding a vaccine for novel coronavirus, likewise we should have climate technology as open source which must be available at affordable cost," Javadekar said.

Stressing on the issue of climate finance, Javadekar said the world now needs more."We must plan for 1 trillion USD in grants to developing world immediately," he said.

The minister also said the world must think of adopting more sustainable consumption patterns in line with requirement of sustainable lifestyles "as was first mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Paris COP."