Addressing the valedictory ceremony of the United Nations Forum on Forests- Country Led Initiative by India at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun today, the Vice President stated that this planet is not ours, and we have to hand it over to future generations. Stressing the need to nurture and preserve biodiversity, he said that we are merely trustees at the moment, and cannot afford to compromise our future generations with our reckless approach & exploitation of natural resources.

Noting that the climate challenge that we are facing will not affect an individual, rather it’ll affect the planet, Dhankhar called for mustering all energy & all resources to find the solution. “Like COVID, which was a non-discriminatory challenge to every part of the globe, climate change is far more critical and severe than the COVID challenge,” he opined.

Mentioning that forests provide a carbon sink that absorbs up 2.4 billion metric tons of carbon each year, the Vice President emphasised that we all need to realise that forests are a climate solution. “Our forests are not merely a resource but also encompass the cultural, spiritual and intellectual heritage of the country,” he added.

Recognizing that Energy has become another method of weaponization in the global arena, Dhankhar listed various steps taken by India towards clean energy generation. Expressing India’s commitment to clean energy, he stated that by 2030, half of our electricity will be generated from renewable sources.

Talking about the forest fires/wildfires, VP said that despite technological advancements, even developed countries are facing this problem. Calling for a multi-layered approach to address this problem, he listed technology, awareness generation and sustenance of forests in the right manner as some of the steps to mitigate wildfires.

Lt. Gen. Gurmit Singh, Governor of Uttarakhand, Chandra Prakash Goyal, Director General of Forest, Juliette Biao Koudenouk po, Director, UNFF, Bivash Ranjan, Additional Director General of Forest, Bharat Jyoti, Director General, ICFRE, and esteemed delegates from various countries and international organizations attended the event.