NEW YORK : Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said there is “unity” in the Indian government for moving towards the goal of tackling climate change and he does not see any “turf war” but a clear agenda that energy and development are important.
“This is one time when I would say the government is pulling its weight as far as this movement (of tackling climate change) is concerned,” Mahindra told PTI after addressing world leaders, civil society and businesses at the high-level signing ceremony of the Paris climate change agreement at the UN.
In a singular honour, Mahindra was the sole representative from the corporate world to deliver opening remarks at the ceremony on Friday.
He joined dignitaries, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, French President François Hollande, President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft and UN Messenger of Peace Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio to address world leaders from the iconic green lectern of the UN General Assembly hall on the historic occasion.
Mahindra said Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar “theoretically should be at opposite ends of the pole” since one is tasked with rescuing the coal industry while the other is tasked with putting a tax on that resource.
He cited Goyal’s call for 100 per cent electric vehicles in India and said the minister is “very focused” on getting technology to produce clean coal.
“I don’t see any turf wars in this administration. I see a clear agenda that energy is important, development is important. I see a lot of unity in terms of moving towards this goal of controlling climate change,” he said.
He emphasised that the industry in India now has to come together and form a coalition to help the government in tackling the problem of climate change.
The industry has to “get together and almost jointly, as is happening in business coalitions around the world, we have to create an Indian coalition of business people committed to attacking climate change and support the government,” he said.
“The shoe is on the other foot here in my opinion,” he said.
Mahindra said the global industry has been “painted with a dark brush” particularly in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis but “it is time business move beyond” and “gets back on the pedestal by aligning itself with the interests of people everywhere.”
In his address at the opening ceremony, Mahindra had said the signing of the Paris agreement provided corporations the first step towards “visibly integrating our interests with the interests of the future of the planet.”
“It is a responsibility because we have contributed to the problem and it is up to us to help mitigate it. It is also an opportunity because this mitigation gives business a chance to redeem itself from the trust deficit it has been facing after the 2008 Occupy Wall Street movement,” Mahindra had said. (PTI)
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