Invest in green jobs; End fossil-fuel subsidies: António Guterres, UNSG at Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture 2020

Speaking at an online event to commemorate the legacy of TERI's visionary founder and noted technocrat-industrialist, Darbari S Seth, H. E. António Guterres said, "Darbari Seth was a climate action pioneer. He stressed that India must end its reliance on polluting, financially volatile and costly fossil fuels and instead invest in clean, economically resilient solar power. India is a pioneer when it comes to driving innovation for access to electricity and on clean cooking. I call on India and all its innovators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to spearhead the global search for a solution to solar cooking at the household level."

On global leadership on clean energy and climate action, the UN Secretary-General said in a video message, "I will continue to urge all countries, especially the G20 countries, to commit to carbon neutrality before 2050 and to submit, well before COP26, more ambitious nationally determined contributions and long-term strategies that are aligned with the 1.5-degree goal. I call on Indian leaders to take the decisions, make the investments, and adopt the policies necessary to continue this vital journey."

The UN Secretary-General also listed six "climate-positive actions" that he has suggested to governments to recover better from the pandemic.

Saying that India is already pushing ahead in the right direction, he added that since 2015, the number of people working in renewable energy in India has increased five-fold.