Avoid green protectionism in the name of green economy: Natarajan

‘Countries should avoid using environment concerns to further
their economic interests. One should not pass on green protectionism in the
name of green economy,’ said Minister of State for Environment Jayanthi
Natarajan while addressing Delhi Ministerial Dialogue on Green
Economy and Inclusive Growth.

The minister called for a ‘global consensus’ on a
sustainable environment policy. She said a global policy must give space to all
countries to strategize as per their requirements.

‘Countries should define their sustainable development
strategies as per their national priorities and respective stages of
development,’ said Natarajan.

Both poverty and conspicuous consumption were issues that
had to be addressed in tandem, Natarajan said.

Talking about India, Natarajan said, ‘Although we have
achieved a great deal, considerable challenges remain in the area of poverty
eradication. Fifty-five per cent of population in rural India still does not
have access to electricity.’

Commenting on green energy, she said that the challenge to
scale up cleaner energy solutions gets further compounded by limited access
to green technologies at affordable cost.

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