The President of India addressed the closing session of the National Green Tribunal’s two-day International Conference on environmental and climate issues in New Delhi on 20 September 2026. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change hosted the event, which brought together judges, experts and officials from 17 countries to discuss how nations can move from making climate promises to actually delivering results.
What the conference covered
The National Green Tribunal, India’s environmental court, organised discussions on two main topics on the second day. The first examined how countries can work together on shared environmental problems, manage natural resources fairly and learn from each other’s successes. The second focused on protecting and restoring forests, including how communities can participate in forest management and how technology can help monitor forest health.
Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Shri Manohar Lal noted that India now generates nearly 55 per cent of its electricity from non-fossil sources and achieved its 50 per cent renewable capacity target five years ahead of the original deadline. He also spoke about India’s work in sustainable cities, water management and electric vehicle adoption.
The President stressed the importance of climate strategies built around communities and drawing on traditional knowledge. Justice B.V. Nagarathna of the Supreme Court said courts must balance development with environmental protection and ensure solutions consider impacts on different groups and future generations. NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said the focus must shift from simply identifying problems to creating laws and partnerships that actually solve them, with special attention to vulnerable communities.
The Ministry released a souvenir titled ‘Harit Nyayam’ documenting the tribunal’s history and work, intended as a resource for policymakers and citizens.
What this means for you
The conference signals that India’s environmental and climate decisions will increasingly involve international cooperation and learning. The emphasis on community-based solutions and traditional knowledge suggests that future environmental projects may involve local participation more directly. The focus on translating promises into action means government programmes in renewable energy, forests and water management will face stronger scrutiny for actual results rather than announcements alone.