Single-window system will be used to approve green projects, says Chief Minister Stalin

At Climate Change Mission lunch he said, Nearly 2.8 crore tree saplings will be planted across the state to increase green cover and to absorb carbon from the atmosphere

A single-window system will be used to approve green initiatives through ‘Guidance TN’ in the State, said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin during the launch of the Climate Change Mission on the concluding day of the climate summit. This decision will play a major role in making Tamil Nadu a trillion dollar economy by 2030, he said.

Mr. Stalin said as part of the mission, the State will also focus on climate literacy to bring awareness about climate change among school and college students. Detailing measures that will be taken as part of the Climate Change Mission, he noted that there has been an increasing trend in irregular rain patterns, high heat, floods, tsunami, landslides, health issues, poor soil fertility and air pollution due to climate change. 

Mr. Stalin said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at the COP26 summit in Glasgow last year and India’s net zero target by 2070 stressed on the importance of initiating climate change measures.  He also said the State had increased its Ramsar sites from just one site to 13 in the last few years. Tamil Nadu was trying to raise ₹1,000 crore towards a “Green Climate Fund” and the State government has contributed ₹100 crore to it. 

Erik Solheim, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme, appreciated the State’s efforts towards climate change mitigation. Mr. Solheim said Tamil Nadu is one of the very few States across countries that has set up a climate council under the leadership of a Chief Minister. He also commended the “Meendum Manjappai” movement, which encourages use of yellow cloth bags in place of single-use plastics. 

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Economist; Sundarrajan, Coordinator, Poovulagin Nanbargal; Nirmala Rajan, Chairperson, Ramo Community Services; Ramesh Ramachandran, Founder-Director, NCSCM also participated in the launch of the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission. 

Mr. Ahluwalia said climate change is possibly the most important problem of the current times. He also stressed upon the need for more precise targets, and decomposing long-term goals into medium-term solutions.