Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav attended the inaugural session of Sustainable Mountain Development Summit-XI (SMDS-XI) held at Leh, Ladakh UT from October 10 to 12, 2022. The theme of SMDS-XI is “Using tourism for sustainable mountain development”. The main goal of the summit is to reduce the negative impacts of tourism while making use of its positive contributions to building climate and social-ecological resilience and sustainability.
In his speech, he expressed that a visit to Ladakh is always refreshing due to its beautiful landscape and magnificent mountains. The integration of science and politics is supposed to be the main activity of IMI, in light of this he suggested that the integration of the uniqueness of cultures and environments should become an essential part of such summits. He also highlighted the establishment of G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (GBPNIHE) and its one regional center at Leh, under MOEFCC, which is specially entrusted with research and development activities for sustainability of Himalayan environment.
He emphasized that the country’s various unique landscapes like the Himalayas, the Western Ghats and the Thar Desert require special attention from the scientific community. During the event, another important aspect that was mentioned was youth capacity building to focus not only on literacy for employment but also on preserving local culture, protecting the environment and developing scientific integrity among the youth. Research and development organizations under MOEF&CC like GBPNIHE, ZSI, BSI, WII are conducting research on various related issues like plant genetics for rapid breeding, digitization of Indian flora and fauna and reintroduction of cheetahs in India to correct the ecological fallacy of environmental law.
Government has programs like Skill India and various portals like National Career Service Portal, e-Shram Portal, Udyami and ASEEM portals etc. which promote financial literacy and integrated capacity building even for remote areas of the country. The National Career Service Portal already has 1 million applicants with 10,000 employers providing 4.28 lakh job opportunities, the largest ever. This portal is further upgraded. Shri Yadav emphasized that ease of living is as important as ease of doing business and MEF&CC is working on it. During COP-26 in Glasgow, the Prime Minister emphasized that the world should move towards a lifestyle for the environment (LiFE) mission. The government promotes conscious use of resources rather than mindless exploitation. Ideas for such practices are already available in our culture and traditions.
People living in harsh Himalayan conditions have all these values and the region is popular not only for tourism but also for cultural harmony. We have many strengths like Buddhist monasteries which are a symbol of peace in this world full of stress, depression and anxiety. He stressed that tourism should be expanded with various aspects considering environmental fragility, sports, mountain climbing, cycling, peace etc. The recent World Conference on Forests in the USA endorsed the statement that forests are not just for entertainment but an important source of peace.
The Himalayan forests have fostered peace for centuries. Himalayan tourism should be encouraged for nature seekers, pilgrims and spiritual seekers. Like Ladakh, other Himalayan states like Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya etc. have unique aspects which should be integrated into tourism. The responsibility of local tour guides, if discussed at the summits, will have a long-term impact. He informed that MEF&CC has disposed of all wildlife related proposals and applications submitted on Parivesh portal to speed up the development path of Ladakh. The Parivesh portal is further redesigned to integrate all environmental clearances in a centralized manner.
Emphasized the solar energy
He assured that MEF&CC will extend all support to the Ladakh administration for awareness and training of local stakeholders on forest rights and other related issues. He emphasized that solar energy is a great source of energy and our prime minister has decided to promote solar energy worldwide. India founded the International Solar Alliance, which now has 106 members worldwide. In Glasgow, the Prime Minister highlighted the “One Sun, One World, One Grid” concept, which has been praised by the international community. India and the United Kingdom have formed the Coalition for Climate Change Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) to address the issue of loss and damage caused by climate change.
The minister also informed that the work to connect remote landscapes by building tunnels like Atal Tunnel and the ongoing Zoji La Tunnel will reduce carbon emissions in the mountain environment. He suggested that the youth should follow the LiFE formula in true spirit to ensure a sustainable future for our country. He expressed confidence in achieving the Prime Minister’s vision for a “carbon neutral Ladakh”. “When every individual thinks of national good, when every nation thinks of global good, then sustainable development becomes a reality,” the Union Minister quoted the Prime Minister as saying in his concluding remarks. The Sustainable Mountain Development Summit (SMDS) is the flagship annual event of IMI, a civil society-led forum working in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), which includes 10 mountain states, two union territories and four mountain regions. Apart from the main event, two integral components of SMDS include the Mountain Legislators’ Meeting (MLM) and the Indian Himalayan Youth Summit.
