The fourth G-20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group will meet on July 26 and 27.

The fourth Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) under India’s G-20 chairmanship will meet in Chennai on July 26 and 27. The working group’s deliberations will conclude at the G-20 environment and climate ministers’ meeting on July 28, which will be attended by about 35 environment ministers.

Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Richa Sharma said that the outcome from the ECSWG and the Presidency documents will be released during the ministerial meeting. Elaborating on the proceedings of the last three meetings and virtual sessions held during this year, Ms Sharma told reporters here on Tuesday that the focus was on three thematic priorities – halting land degradation, accelerating ecosystem restoration and enriching biodiversity; promote a sustainable and climate-resilient blue economy; Resource efficiency and circular economy.

As part of the Blue Economy deliberations, India compiled the fifth edition of the G-20 report on action against marine plastic litter with inputs from around 40 countries, Ms. Sharma said. During the fourth ECSWG, further discussions on outcome documents were scheduled under the two broad tracks of environment and climate.

MoEFCC Additional Secretary Naresh Pal Gangwar said the launch of the Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy (RECE) Industry Coalition on Thursday was a crucial aspect of the ECSWG meeting.

Asked about restoration of degraded land in the country, MoEFCC Additional Director General (Forest) Bavish Ranjan said: “We are focusing on two types of degraded land. Land has been lost to forest fires and mining. Through this we will achieve the restoration of ecological landscapes and global biodiversity goals.

After the meeting on Friday, the delegation will be taken to Mamallapuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.