PM to attend climate summit

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted the invitation extended by US President Joe Biden to attend the Leaders' Summit on Climate and the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate on April 22 and 23, spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs (MEA) Arindam Bagchi said on Friday.
"Prime Minister Modi welcomed President Biden's initiative and accepted the invitation," he said at an online media briefing, according to the news agency PTI.
Biden invited 40 world leaders to take part in the summit that is hosted by the US and aims to highlight the urgency and the economic benefits of actions to stop climate change. The two-day summit will be held virtually in view of the coronavirus pandemic and will be telecasted live for public viewing.
Starting on Earth Day, April 22, the summit will encourage discussion over factors influencing climate change and as part of it, Biden will outline the US' goal for reductions of carbon emissions by 2030, according to a White House statement.
The summit will reconvene the US-led Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, which brings together 17 countries responsible for approximately 80 per cent of global emissions and global GDP, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, Bagchi also commented on the upcoming visit of the US' special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry to India and said he will be visiting Delhi from April 5-8. The purpose of his visit is to discuss the forthcoming leaders' summit on climate, he said.
"We expect that during his visit, Mr Kerry will be interacting with several ministers, including the external affairs minister as well as ministers of finance, petroleum and natural gas, environment, power and new and renewable energy," Bagchi said.