VASCO: The environment ministers of BRICS countries have agreed on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and announced the setting up of a joint working group institutionalizing their mutual cooperation on environment related issues.
The ministerial deceleration highlights key agreements which were adopted with mutual consensus. The areas agreed for mutual cooperation are abatement and control of air and water pollution, efficient management of liquid and solid waste and climate.
This was informed by Anil Madhav Dave, Union minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
“The BRICS countries have resolved to set up a platform for innovations, knowledge sharing and capacity
building including a common website, network of technical institution and undertake joint projects in the areas of mutual interest. Also the MOU have been finalized and we have reached on some conclusions which are necessary for future in the light of UNFCCC and the Paris agreement,” he said.
He also informed that the countries which are advanced in specific technologies will try and transfer that technology, to share the technology and to meet the technocrats. “When heads of the States meet again during the BRICS summit in Goa, they will discuss the matter. Also, there is a proposal from China that next year in April, technocrats and those who have specialised command on the subject will meet in Beijing,” he added.
Dave also said that the BRICS countries had hundred percent agreements of all the parties on the issues related to environment. He claimed that in the longer run, world would see the unpredictable changes in the atmosphere especially in the behaviour of the sea, crop patters and thus BRICS countries have agreed that each and every water body or each and every river of the country must be preserved properly so that the safe, clean drinking water should be available to the entire society. “It is a fact that our rivers are drying up, our water bodies are not up to the mark. We all have, therefore, agreed that we should work on this and formulate a group which can exchange their views. We can have bilateral efforts to conserve rivers and ponds or we can have multilateral or individual efforts,” he said adding, “The group of ministers will be meeting in Morocco again in November this year,” he said.
“BRICS countries have reaffirmed their commitment to the Principles of Rio Declaration on environment and development, 1992 including equality and common but differentiated responsibilities,” Dave said.
The ministers called upon the developed countries to honour their commitments related to means of implementation and facilitate its operationalisation with a clear roadmap for the successful achievement of various global environmental agreements and sustainable development goals.
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa comprising BRICS block together accounts for 41.6 percent of global population, 23.31 percent of total world’s territory and about 22 percent of world’s total GDP have rich biodiversity and natural capital. The choices made by the BRICS countries have a global significance.
