On Thursday, world leaders from France, the United Kingdom, and several other countries congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the launch of the Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for the Environment). According to the Prime Minister’s Office, LiFE mission will be a global mass movement led by India to ensure both individual and collective action to preserve and protect the environment. It will be India’s unique initiative at the United Nations and other global platforms for demonstrating climate action and early achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The iconic ‘Statue of Unity’ is the ideal place to launch Mission LiFE, an endeavour aimed at building synergy for a sustainable planet. pic.twitter.com/BBSQVkzzEA
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 20, 2022
In his video message, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France is looking forward to working with India as the country prepares to take over the G20 presidency next year.
“Dear Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, colleagues, and friends, namaste.” I wish I could be with you in Kevadia on this momentous occasion. And, at a time when geopolitical tensions are rising, we have no choice but to choose cooperation over the division for a single region. “No one can address global challenges, particularly climate change, on their own,” Macron said.
“France looks forward to working with India to make this initiative a success, including in view of India’s G20 presidency next year,” he added.
UK Prime Minister Liz Truss congratulated PM Modi via video message.
“As democracies, we must work together to ensure energy independence and economic protection.” We are collaborating with partners such as India to develop critical climate infrastructure. I commend India’s leadership in launching Mission LiFE, let’s keep leading the way.”
Moreover, Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih stated that PM Modi’s Mission LiFE could not have arrived at a more crucial time. The negative consequences of the climate crisis hit the countries with full force.
In her message, Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, expressed her gratitude to PM Modi for launching Mission LiFE and stated that the need for a collective response to climate change is stronger than ever.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated, “Georgia welcomes and fully supports this global initiative, timely introduced by PM Modi, which promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle based on the principle of mindful and deliberate utilization.”
Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali, said “Our planet is under attack. 70% of forest land is significantly degraded. To protect the planet, we must all work together. I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the launch of the Mission LiFE logo and mission document, which aims to mobilize 1 billion Indians to become pro-planet citizens by 2027. Congratulations on taking the lead, India.”
In Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar, Prime Minister Modi and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched the Mission LiFE mission.
We are honoured by the presence of @UN Secretary General, Mr. @antonioguterres for the launch of Mission LiFE. Had a wonderful meeting with him in Kevadia. pic.twitter.com/2LYqyFNBNj
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 20, 2022
Earlier, Prime Minister Modi along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid floral tributes at Kevadia’s Statue of Unity in Gujarat, and the UN Secretary-General joined Prime Minister Modi in launching the Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) booklet, logo, and tagline.
PM Modi stated that Mission LiFE will strengthen the P3 concept (Pro Planet People).
“Mission LiFE connects Earth’s people with ‘Pro-Planet People,’ uniting them by integrating them with their thoughts.” It is based on the fundamental principle of “Lifestyle of the planet, for the planet, and by the planet,” according to the Prime Minister. Talking about the concepts of ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’ and circular economy, PM said that it has been a part of the lifestyle of Indians for thousands of years.
“There was a perception created that climate change is merely a policy issue that will be addressed by governments or international organizations. “However, people are now feeling the effects of climate change,” he explained. The Prime Minister urged people to make lifestyle changes to help protect the environment from climate change.
The Prime Minister expressed delight at the support that has been showered upon India for taking up the Mission LiFE initiative and thanked the heads of all nations for sending in their congratulatory messages on this gracious occasion. Highlighting the importance of unity in the fight against climate change, PM Modi said that the launch of Mission LiFE is taking place before the Statue of Unity, a colossal statue of the pride of India, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. “The world’s largest statue will be a source of inspiration in achieving the set targets”, he said.
Mission LiFE aims at following a three-pronged strategy for changing our collective approach towards sustainability. First is by nudging individuals to practise simple yet effective environment-friendly actions in their daily lives (demand); second is by enabling industries and markets to respond swiftly to the changing demand (supply) and; third is to influence government and industrial policy to support both sustainable consumption and production (policy).
