NGT Conference on Future of Environment and Climate Concludes

The conference

The National Green Tribunal's two-day International Conference on 'The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics' ended in New Delhi on 20 September 2026 with a valedictory session addressed by President Droupadi Murmu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the conference on 19 September. Jurists, academics, policymakers, scientists and environmental experts from 17 countries took part, along with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

What the President said

The President praised the tribunal for strengthening environmental governance. Climate change, she said, throws human life out of balance at many levels and is bound up with biodiversity loss, water stress and land degradation, with serious effects on food security, health and livelihoods. Her central message was that climate resilience should be built through people-centric, community-based adaptation that draws on traditional knowledge, with special care for rural and forest-dwelling communities, small farmers and women, who bear the heaviest burden of natural disasters.

She added that sustainable afforestation means restoring healthy, self-sustaining ecosystems rather than merely planting trees, and that developing countries must build resilience without losing the pace of development. She pointed to the Government's Mission LiFE as proof that public participation and community ownership can bring real ecological gains.

Other voices at the close

• Manohar Lal, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power, said non-fossil sources now account for nearly 55 per cent of India's installed generation capacity, and that India reached its 50 per cent non-fossil capacity target five years ahead of schedule.
• Justice B.V. Nagarathna of the Supreme Court spoke of the Court's shift towards an ecocentric approach and of the need for effective institutions, enforcement and access to justice.
• Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Chairperson of the NGT, said the talks showed the need to move past naming problems to building the laws, institutions and partnerships that can respond to them.
• Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, argued that protecting the environment is a condition for lasting progress, not an obstacle to it.

Harit Nyayam and the technical sessions

Manohar Lal released the tribunal's souvenir, titled Harit Nyayam, and presented its first copy to the President. The volume records how the tribunal was set up, how it has grown and what it has achieved. The second day had two technical sessions: 'Planetary Environmental Challenges and Cooperation', and 'Forests for the Future: A Dialogue on Forest Protection & Restoration'.

For the exam

Note the conference title, the two dates (inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 19 September and closed with the President's address on 20 September), the 17 participating countries, the souvenir's name Harit Nyayam, the NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, and the power-sector figures: nearly 55 per cent non-fossil capacity, with the 50 per cent target met five years early.