Minister Schulze agrees closer environmental cooperation with India

Germany and India aim for closer cooperation on environmental and climate policy. Federal Environment Minister Schulze and her Indian counterpart Harsh Vardhan agreed on this today in New Delhi at the third Indo-German Environment Forum. In the coming years, Germany will fund Indian climate action projects with an additional 35 million euros. Moreover, the two governments intend to commit themselves to preventing marine litter. 

Minister Schulze remarked: "To solve global environmental issues, we need India. India is one of our most important partners in tackling climate change, stepping up efforts to fight marine litter and protecting biodiversity." 

The third Indo-German Environment Forum’s theme is "Cleaner Air, Greener Economy". Germany and India are discussing potential approaches to solutions for good air quality and for the development and expansion of water management and the circular economy. Beyond that, the talks are focusing on climate and sustainability strategies for modernising economies. 

Minister Schulze and Minister Vardhan agreed on an additional 35 million euros of funds from the Federal Environment Ministry’s International Climate Initiative to be allocated to sustainable forest projects, grid expansion and storage systems for renewable energy. Apart from that, they talked about partnership opportunities in managing waste that otherwise ends as marine litter. The Environment Forum is hosted by the two environment ministries, the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. 

As part of her two-day trip to India, Federal Environment Minister Schulze will also visit the New Delhi environment initiative "Green the Map", which recycles local waste, processes it manually and offers environmental education for teenagers. Furthermore, the Minister will visit the Siemens plant in Mumbai and the plant of the Indian company Tata Steel. 

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