Gandhinagar, Feb 16 (IANS): Norway on Sunday said that it saw India as an important player against climate change and that both countries could play leading role in tackling the global issues of environment and climate change.
Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar and Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment Sveinung Rotevatn met at the Mahatma Mandir here to discuss bilateral and global issues on climate and environment.
A Conference Of Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species will be held at the venue from Monday to Friday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the event via videoconferencing. It is for the first time that the triennial event would be held in the country.
On Sunday, both countries stressed the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation on environment and climate change, particularly marine pollution.
"We, particularly Norway, see India as an important player in action against climate change problems. We are impressed by India's efforts in curbing plastic waste handling, especially through the drive launched by the Indian Prime Minister, through 'Say No to Plastic'," said Rotevatn.
India has banned the use of single-use plastic in the country.
"Year 2020 will be the Super Year for Environment. India is rich in biodiversity and we expect that both countries help each other through technology and research, so that more work can be carried out for environmental conservation," Javadekar said.
The Minister said that India had initiated an ocean dialogue with Norway to address marine plastic litter. Both the countries have formed joint working groups on blue economy with sustainable development.
Both Ministers recognised that the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol for phasing out use of hydroflourocarbons (HFCs)could prevent up to 0.4 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of the century. It was agreed to continue the projects supported by Norway on issues related to HFCs.
Both the countries agreed on the importance of delivering concrete, scalable solutions for ocean health and wealth at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon in June 2020.