Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed the World Bank Event ‘Making it Personal: How Behavioural Change Can Tackle Climate Change’ via video message. The PM said: “We believe that individuals making the right decisions for our planet are key in the battle for our planet. When billions across the world do it together, the impact is huge. This is the core of Mission LiFE.” The Mission LiFE was launched in October 2022 by the UN Secretary-General and Modi.
Modi emphasized that global institutions have an important role to play in encouraging countries across the world. Referring to the World Bank Group’s proposed increase in climate finance from 26% to 35%, as a share of total financing, he said that the focus of this climate finance is usually on conventional aspects. “Adequate financing methods need to be worked out for behavioural initiatives too. A show of support by the World Bank towards behavioural initiatives such as Mission LiFE will have a multiplier effect,” he concluded.
Modi illustrated his thinking with examples from India and said, “In this matter of mass movements and behaviour transformation, the people of India have done a lot in the last few years.” He gave examples of improved sex ratio, massive cleanliness drive, and adoption of LED bulbs which help in avoiding nearly 39 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide emissions every year. Saving water by coverage of nearly seven hundred thousand hectares of farmland by micro-irrigation. These efforts, he said, will, amongst others, generate around one hundred and seventy million dollars of additional cost savings by 2030.
