Greenpeace seeks role for civil society in climate talks

NEW DELHI: Environmental NGO Greenpeace International said its executive director Kumi Naidoo today met Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to discuss the role civil society would play in climate negotiations in Lima and Paris.

Naidoo was accompanied by Greenpeace India executive director Samit Aich. This was the first interaction between the NGO and the government after its foreign funds were blocked following the leak of two Intelligence Bureau (IB) reports in June this year.

Aich said they stressed upon the need to include civil society in informing India's position on key climate issues.

"Javadekar acknowledged our role and proposed to invite us for upcoming civil society consultations that the minister plans to conduct before climate talks at Lima in Peru," he said.

While addressing a press conference on Friday, Naidoo and Aich had made a public appeal to the government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a meeting to clarify Greenpeace India's campaigns and share their concerns about the curbs that the environmental watchdog is facing in the country.