Forests part of climate solution, says India’s Vice President

NEW DELHI, 30th October, 2023 (WAM) -- India’s Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has called for convergence of all efforts to find a solution to present-day environmental challenges,

“One country alone cannot find a solution,” Dhankar said in his valedictory address to a meeting under the auspices of the United Nations Forum on Forests held in Dehradun, capital of India’s Uttarakhand state. “A synergetic global stance is the only option for resolution of environmental problems.”

He said the climate challenge “we are facing will affect the entire planet and so it calls for mustering all our energy and resources to find a solution.”

“Forests,” the Vice President said, “are the lifeline of millions of people in India, especially the tribal communities. Conservation, though critical and crucial, cannot be isolated from the well-being of communities that rely on forest resources.”

Stressing the need to nurture and preserve biodiversity, he said future generations cannot be compromised with a reckless approach and exploitation of natural resources.

Dhankar noted that forests provide a carbon sink that absorbs up to 2.4 billion metric tonnes of carbon each year. “In that sense, forests are a climate solution.”

WAM/Krishnan Nayar