India joins High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People

India, at a ceremony held between the French and Indian Governments on October 7, 2021, officially joined the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People. 

HAC is a group of 70 nations encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect 30×30 (30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030).

Key Highlights

• The Union Environment Ministry in an official statement said that India is the first BRICS bloc of major emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) to join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People.

• India’s announcement of joining HAC comes in the lead up to a high-level biodiversity meeting in China from October 11 to 15. Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Rameshwar Prasad Gupta handed over the signed agreement to Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain.

• Rameshwar Prasad Gupta, while expressing delight on India joining the member countries of HAC, said that the resource mobilization will also be the cornerstone for the implementation of policies and programmes for conserving biodiversity. He added that India will ensure all the support to meet the global biodiversity targets.
• The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People is an intergovernmental group of 70 nations co-chaired by Costa Rica and France and the United Kingdom as the Ocean co-chair.
• To address the climate and biodiversity crisis, there is growing research that half of the planet must be kept in a natural state. Some studies also suggest that the number should be even higher, while some also suggest slightly lower.

• However, experts around the world agree that a scientifically credible and necessary interim goal must be to achieve a minimum of 30% protection by 2030.

SOURCE: Jagran Josh

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