States must take initiative on climate policies: Minister

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that states should come up with more ideas and take initiatives to fight against climate change.

"States must create their own initiatives for climate action beyond implementing central policies. The issues of transfer of technology and finance continue to be major issues in dealing with climate change," he added while addressing the inaugural session of the national workshop on 'Taking forward the climate agenda' here.

The Minister also urged the states to increasingly play a proactive role in the implementation of climate policies. 

"States are important partners in implementing the climate change vision of the country. Several pioneering initiatives and innovative approaches for addressing climate change, beyond national level initiatives, are being championed by the state governments," he said.

Vardhan pointed that both the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) had been conceptualized almost a decade ago. 

"Thus, the ministry is taking steps for revision for the national missions of NAPCC as well as the SAPCCs to reflect the current climate change realities", he stated.- IANS