Arunachal Govt adopts declaration on climate change, renames department of forest

The Arunachal Pradesh government held a cabinet meeting at the Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) here in Pakke-Kessang district on Saturday. The state government adopted the ‘Pakke Tiger Reserve 2047 Ministerial

The Arunachal Pradesh government held a cabinet meeting at the Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) here in Pakke-Kessang district on Saturday.

The state government adopted the ‘Pakke Tiger Reserve 2047 Ministerial Declaration on Climate Change Resilient and Responsive Arunachal’ during the cabinet meeting.

According to reports, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) office, Itanagar said the declaration aims to “accelerate comprehensive, smart, climate resilient, and inclusive development of the people and the state through all-round efforts.”

The state government has changed the Department of Environment and Forests (DoEF) into the ‘Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’ (DoEF&CC) with a new department logo and flag in order to provide the climate change response institutional arrangements more momentum.

Talking to the media, State Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that the declaration aims to “accomplish Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s COP26 five-point commitment to make India a net zero carbon emission nation by 2070.”

The Chief Minister further said,”Considering the forest and natural resource wealth we have, this campaign is a step towards fulfilling the targets and goals within India’s national contribution in pursuance of the Paris Agreement on climate change.”

According to Principal Secretary Finance Dr. Sarat Chauhan, the declaration envisions a multi-sectoral approach to low-emission and climate-resilient development based on five broad themes: environment, forest and climate change, health and well-being of all, sustainable and adaptive living, livelihoods and opportunities, and evidence generation and collaborative action.

The themes will work to promote and realise a climate change resilient and responsive Arunachal Pradesh, with important areas such as forestry, agriculture, horticulture, and water resource management, he said.

“The various domains are supported by 75 highly pragmatic and feasible climate change adaptation engagements throughout the state. The action plan will be executed with sector-specific resource allocation within respective budgetary envelopes for coordinated engagements to urgently address and mitigate the impact of climate change,”Sarat Chauhan added.

According to the release, the cabinet has also adopted the rare Kaiser-i-Hind butterfly (Teinopalpus imperialis) as the state butterfly and “e-Cabinet” to “improve the efficiency of government decision-making processes and make them more green, climate friendly, efficient, and transparent.”

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