France’s Holland seeks India’s support for post-carbon world

Seeking to consolidate the strategic partnership between France and India, France’s President Francois Hollande has made a strong pitch for climate justice and sought New Delhi’s collaboration in creating “a post-carbon world.” In the backdrop of the Paris agreement signed in December 2015 to combat climate change globally, Mr Hollande said, “My visit has two main objectives: consolidate our strategic partnership, in particular for our security, with more cooperation and implement decisions taken during PM Modi’s visit in France during COP21.” “France wants to build with India a post-carbon world,” said the French president, who has been invited as chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to combat climate change, Mr Hollande said, “Prime Minister Modi had played a very important role and enabled, through his initiatives and concepts that he had formulated, i.e. “climate justice”, to reach this result.” Mr Hollande also expressed concerns over the increasing level of pollution worldwide and termed it disastrous. The French leader was all praise for India’s potential for innovation.  “France thinks that it is in India that new innovations are conceived with its young and well trained population.” Speaking about the International Solar Alliance, Mr Hollande stressed on translating into action our common will to implement the Paris Agreement as swiftly as possible by launching the Solar Alliance.   Terming the alliance a great epic, a great adventure, Mr Hollande said French companies which are present in great numbers will be welcomed in India to be in the forefront. He also made a strong pitch for greater India-France collaboration in solar energy, energy efficiency, energy storage. After launching the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in Paris on November 30 2015 at the COP-21 summit, Mr Modi and Mr Hollande will jointly lay the foundation stone of the ISA Headquarters and inaugurate the interim Secretariat of ISA at National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in Gurgaon on January 25.