The environment ministers of BRICS nations today announced setting up of a joint working group, institutionalising their mutual cooperation on green issues.
The ministers, who met in South Goa during the two-day meeting, also agreed on a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
“We have finalised the MoU and have reached on some conclusions which are necessary for the future in light of UNFCCC and the Paris agreement,” Union Environment Minister Anil Dave told reporters.
“BRICS has a major role in the global area, particularly (for) air quality, water management, waste management. These are the areas where we had some agreement.
“We agreed with each other. Technology transfer is one of them, because technology and finance are the major issues if you want to mitigate the objects, goals,” Dave said.
He said the heads of the states will meet again during the BRICS summit in Goa and will discuss the matter.
Dave said countries which are advanced in specific technologies will try and transfer that technology to others. “There is a proposal from China that in April next year, technocrats and those who have specialised command on the subject will meet in Beijing,” he added.
Dave said the BRICS countries have “hundred per cent agreement of all the parties on the issues related to environment.”
Serious concern
The Minister termed climate change as a “serious concern”.
“Sudden remedies for climate change are not possible. In the longer run, we see unpredictable changes in atmosphere, especially in the behaviour of the sea, crop patterns,” Dave said.
“I am happy to inform you that we have agreed that each and every water body or each and every river of the country must be preserved properly so that safe, clean drinking water should be available to the entire society,” he said.
“At present, what we are seeing is (that) our rivers are drying, our water bodies are not up to the mark, they are dying day by day. We have all 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,” Dave said.
Road map for agreements
He also said that the group of ministers will be meeting in Morocco again in November.
During the meeting in Goa, the BRICS countries resolved to set up a platform for innovations, knowledge sharing and capacity building including a common website, network of technical institutions and undertake joint projects in areas of mutual interest.
Dave said the BRICS countries reaffirmed their commitment to the Principles of Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992, including equality and common but differentiated responsibilities.
The ministers called upon the developed countries to honour their commitments related to means of implementation and facilitate its operationalisation with a clear road-map for the successful achievement of various global environmental agreements and sustainable development goals.
