Ministers from 35 countries to meet for G20 Climate Working Group

Chennai will play host to the fourth Environment & Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) and Environment and Climate Ministers' meeting, which commences here on July 26, in which nearly 35 ministers from different countries will participate. Speaking about the three-day event being held under India's G20 Presidency, Richa Sharma, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, here said on Tuesday that Union Environment Bhupender Yadav who holds the portfolio will address the ministerial meeting.

About 300 delegates from the G20 member countries, invitees and representatives of several international organisations will be taking part in meeting.

The previous meetings were held in Bengaluru, Gandhinagar, and Mumbai.

"We have brought in new thematic priorities for discussions, such as land degradation due to forest fires or owing to abandoned mines. Different working groups will conclude their work and finally meet in Delhi," Sharma told reporters here.

"We are working towards developing G20 high-level principles on a sustainable ocean-based economy," she added. A detailed report on handling marine plastic litter will be prepared. Tomorrow's event attracts the largest number of participants, indicating the Presidency's success for the thematic priorities," she said.

Bivash Ranjan, Additional Director General of Forests, MoEF & CC; Naresh Pal Gangwar, Additional Secretary, MoEF & CC; and Richa Sharma, the theme Chairs for land restoration, circular economy, and blue economy, who jointly addressed media persons, said the deliberations of the 4th ECSWG meeting will conclude with the G20 Environment and Climate Ministers' Meeting on Day 3, wherein the outcome and the Presidency documents will be released.

In the previous three meetings, as well as virtual sessions in May, June and July, collaborative and inclusive discussions took place and the discussions centered on identifying the root cause and global solutions that could help tackle the multidimensional challenge of climate and environmental degradation.

During the fourth ECSWG, further discussion on the outcome documents is scheduled to take place in parallel, under the two broad tracks of Environment and Climate, they said.

"Coastal and marine spatial planning is also an important issue and how this should be used in a comprehensive and incubated manner, and the kind of planning approach to be undertaken would be taken into account. This is underway for Puducherry and Lakshadweep. A draft document has been prepared for the entire coastline of India and the islands," Sharma said.