New Delhi, July 31 : Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that in view of the 2015 agreement on climate change, the Indo-U. S. Joint Working Group needed to work very closely and develop a common understanding on an ambitious and balanced package for the post-2020 period.

Javadekar, who met Special Envoy Climate Change, USA, Todd Stern here yesterday, further said that the Joint Working Group would also establish coordination on mitigation and adaptation aspects.

The minister said that important activities in the areas of clean energy, smart grid and energy efficiency, development of technology, sharing of information on best practices on adaptation measures specifically for the extreme weather events and approach to loss and damage were the areas of discussions.

Highlighting the IPCC 5th Assessment Report, Javadekar said that non-availability of water was an important concern for mankind. This required lot of efforts including development of various technologies for enhancing water use efficiency, conservation of water resources and ground water recharging etc. He called for working together in these areas.

He further said that REDD+ issues had gained momentum through adoption of various decisions by COPs in its previous sessions. In view of this the management practice responsible for enhancing eco system services, carbon sequestration and protection of bio-diversity required significant research and development activities. This would form part of deliberations of the Joint Working Group.

He also said that the Group may consider other issues related to phase out of Hydro-fluoro carbon which is a green house gas but substitutes ozone depleting substance and has much higher GWP. He said that the Working Group may consider discussing both scientific and technical aspects of the issue to prepare a common strategy.

Reiterating the government's commitment towards sustainable development and efficient use of energy, Javadekar mentioned that several major climate friendly initiatives have been introduced in the Union Budget this year.

Javadekar also specified that in pursuance of a sustainable development strategy, India had already taken a number of actions on a voluntary basis.

He also emphasized ratification and implementation of the second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol including enhancing of mitigation ambition by Annex-I Parties, as a very important step.

The minister mentioned that Technology Mechanism must be fully operationalized and suggested that funds from the Green Climate Fund can be used to purchase Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) of climate friendly technologies and provided to developing countries free of cost. He added that contributions for Green Climate Fund should be ensured immediately.

In his remarks, Todd Stern mentioned that the Joint Working Group would initiate a constructive partnership on Clean Energy and Climate Change between the two countries. This would help in enhancing the bilateral partnership between the two countries.

The meeting between the two key principals was followed by the first Meeting of the Joint Working Group on combating Climate Change. (ANI)