DHULIKHEL (NEPAL), Dec 20: The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative is in India’s favour and the country should endorse it, the campaign’s global engagement director Harjeet Singh has said.
Singh’s comments came during the first Asia meeting of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative in Nepal on Thursday.
Eleven Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand participated in the event.
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Speaking to PTI, Singh said that the action plan of the treaty will go in favour of India as the group and the Indian government share similar concerns.
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is an initiative to create a legally binding mechanism to halt the expansion of coal, oil and gas exploitation and manage a fair transition towards renewable energy resources. So far, 16 countries across four continents, including Pakistan and the Bahamas have endorsed the initiative.
“It will be in India’s favour because we are making the same demands that the Indian government is – that rich countries have to do more, and they have to transition away from fossil fuel the fastest,” Singh told PTI.
“Kolkata has already endorsed this treaty initiative; we are also reaching out to places like Sikkim and cities like Indore – that have demonstrated that leadership and they acknowledge the importance of protecting the environment,” he said.
Acknowledging that certain climate negotiations did not materialise on the global stage, Singh said that it would be “challenging for the national government to engage with another treaty process.”
“…but at the same time we would like cities and states of India to recognise the importance of moving away from fossil fuel and invest much more in renewable energy to adopt a bottom-up approach,” Harjeet Singh told PTI.
Political commitment is the key to enforcement of bold action plans like Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiatives, the Mayor of Dhulikhel Municipality Ashok Kumar Byanju said.
On October 7, 2021, Dhulikhel became the first city in South Asia to endorse it.
Speaking about the measures taken by the city administration to enforce the treaty initiative here, Byanju said that they collaborated with several environmental projects and worked closely with groups like ‘Clean Energy Nepal’.
“This (Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation) treaty initiative is a bold step and the key to enforcing it is political commitment. Our municipality not only took up multiple environmental projects, but also collaborated with groups like ‘Clean Energy Nepal’. We took up projects focusing on zero carbon emissions and that helped us set up Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP),” the Dhulikhel Mayor said.
“We need to make political personalities aware of the treaty for a fair and well-managed transition,” he added.
According to the Mayor, more than 3,000 induction stoves (powered by solar energy) were distributed across the Dhulikhel municipality to help citizens move towards clean cooking (that produces zero emissions).
Long-lasting environmental and health damage are caused by fossil fuels, whereas air pollution causes 8.1 million premature deaths annually, Shweta Narayan, the Campaign lead of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, said while virtually addressing the meeting.
Speaking about the health impact associated with coal, oil and gas, Narayan highlighted issues like poor birth outcomes, respiratory ailments and lung function.
“Some health issues associated with air pollution are reproductive harm, cardiovascular diseases, death and early mortality. It is a well-established fact that the fossil fuel crisis is a health crisis. The health community has been very vocal in the last few years, even calling for a fossil fuel treaty,” she said.
“Even WHO is holding their second conference on air pollution and health in March 2025, where experts from around the world will be discussing air pollution and its impacts,” she added.
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation is holding a three-day meeting in Dhulikhel from December 18, engaging participants from across Asia in group discussions, panel debates and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis on fossil fuel, its impact on the environment and the way forward. (PTI)
