India to showcase environmental conscious lifestyle at COP27, take forward Modi’s pitch on LiFE | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Recognising that lifestyle has a big role in climate change, India has decided to put ‘LiFE-Lifestyle for the Environment’ as a theme of the country’s pavilion at 27th session of the UN climate change conference (COP27) in Egypt in November.
The move will bring into focus the unsustainable lifestyle of rich nations whose “mindless” consumption of resources is considered one of the key factors of high cumulative historical emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that led to climate change.
The idea of pushing LiFE as a theme at the multilateral event is in sync with what PM Narendra Modi proposed to the global community at COP26 in Glasgow, UK last year and subsequently launched a global initiative – LiFE Movement – on the occasion of the World Environment Day on June 5 this year.

“The need of the hour is to solve the challenge faced by our planet using human-centric, collective efforts and robust actions that further accelerate sustainable development. This can be achieved, if the global community can come together and take ‘Lifestyle For Environment’ forward as a campaign,” said the environment ministry’s guidelines for the proposed event at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.
Delivering national statement at COP26 on November 1 last year, Modi had underlined the growing recognition across the globe that lifestyle has a big role in climate change, and proposed before the world leaders a “One-Word Movement”.
“This One-Word, in the context of climate, can become the basic foundation of One World. This word is- LIFE…L, I, F, E, which means Lifestyle For Environment. Today, there is a need for all of us to come together and take Lifestyle For Environment (LIFE) forward as a campaign,” said the Prime Minister.
Pitching for making a mass movement of “environmental conscious lifestyle”, he said, “What is needed today is mindful and deliberate utilisation, instead of mindless and destructive consumption.
These movements together can set goals that can revolutionize many sectors in diverse areas such as fishing, agriculture, wellness, dietary, choices, packaging, housing, hospitality, tourism, clothing, fashion, water management and energy.
“These are subjects where each of us has to make conscious choice every day. These choices exercised by billions of people daily around the world, will take the fight against climate change, billions of steps forward every day. And I consider it as a movement on all grounds like on economic grounds, on scientific grounds, on the basis of the experiences of the past century, it meets every criterion. This is the path of self-realization. This is the only way to benefit.”
The guidelines on LiFE as a theme of India pavilion at COP27, issued by the ministry, are meant for think tanks, civil society organisations, industry bodies and private sector who may be interested in holding various side events in tune with the theme, showcasing India’s climate friendly sustainable lifestyles.
As per the guidelines, the other subjects shortlisted for interested organisers of such side events at COP27 include India’s initiatives on clean energy towards inclusive growth and low carbon development; understanding global net zero and its role to keep 1.5 degree C goal alive; clean-tech innovations, e-mobility and adaptation in water sector among 33 broad topics.
India has been successfully showcasing key achievements of its climate actions and initiatives to combat climate change through pavilions hosted at previous sessions of Conference of Parties (COP). The first such pavilion was set up at COP21 in Paris in 2015.