Guterres delivered to the United Nations Response to COVID-19 that records not only the action taken by the world body during the last three months of the pandemic, but also provides a roadmap for better recovery.
A week after India initiated an auction process for commercial coal blocks, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there is no incentive for any country to include coal in its COVID-19 recovery plans and rather to invest in non-polluting energy sources.
Guterres presented on Thursday to the United Nations Response to COVID-19 that records not only the steps taken by the world body during the last three months of the pandemic, but also provides a road map for better recovery.
“We cannot go back to the way it was and simply recreate the systems that have aggravated the crisis. We need to build back better with more sustainable, inclusive, gender-equal societies and economies,” Guterres said in remarks during a virtual press conference.
“There is no good reason, for example, for any country to include coal in their COVID-19 recovery plans. This is the time to invest in energy sources that don’t pollute, don’t cause emissions, generate decent jobs and save money,” the UN Chief said, adding that the United Nations is strongly committed to leading the renewal.
Although Guterres did not name any country, sources in the UN said the remark was in reference to India’s decision to launch an auction for commercial coal blocks.
India ‘s decision raises concerns as other countries may also use coal to meet energy requirements as economies emerge from the COVID-19 lockdown, they said.
Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated an auction process for 41 coal blocks for commercial mining, a move that opens up India’s coal market to private companies, and called it a big step in the direction of India’s self-reliance.
Launching the commercial mining auction, which is expected to draw Rs 33,000 crore of foreign investment in the country over the next five to seven years, the Prime Minister said that India will win the coronavirus war and turn the crisis into an opportunity, and that the pandemic will make India self-reliant.
Actually, despite being the world’s fourth largest producer, India is the second largest importer of dry fuel, Modi said.
“Allowing the private sector in commercial coal mining is unlocking resources of a nation with the world’s fourth-largest reserves,” he had pointed out.
He said that the start of the auction process not only marked the beginning of the closure of decades of the country’s coal industry, but also aimed at making India the largest exporter of coal.
The commencement of the auction process for these blocks is part of a series of announcements made under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ or self-reliant India Project to revive the Indian economy affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last November in Bangkok, Guterres emphasized the need to avoid the construction of new coal-fired power plants in the future, adding that there are already many new coal-fired power plants planned for the future in East Asia, South East Asia and South Asia.
“There is an addiction to coal that we need to overcome because it remains a major threat in relation to climate change,” he had said.
