Two-Day Conference on Environment 2025 Concludes with Focus on Forest Conservation and Policy Advancements

New Delhi :30/3/25:  The Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, chaired the valedictory session of the National Green Tribunal’s two-day conference on Environment 2025 today at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The session was graced by distinguished dignitaries, including Hon’ble Justice P. S. Narsimha, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, Hon’ble Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Chairperson of NGT, Shri Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, and Sh. Tanmay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.

Addressing the valedictory session, Hon’ble Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar pointed out that neither the planet is exclusive to us nor are we the owners of it. He emphasized that Developed nations must transcend political boundaries in environmental thinking and urged for a collective commitment to live in harmony with nature and protect the environment

The second day’s proceedings began with Technical Session III, focusing on “Forest and Biodiversity Conservation”, chaired by Hon’ble Justice Anand Pathak, Judge, Madhya Pradesh High Court. Experts and policymakers deliberated on the impact of human intervention on forests and biodiversity, highlighting legal and policy frameworks necessary for conservation. Justice Anand Pathak of the Madhya Pradesh High Court stated that every citizen must promote the environment by planting right trees in the right places. He proposed a range of ideas such as transforming minor penalties into plantation initiatives, corporate climate responsibility, creating National Carbon Credit Bank and establishing Sovereign Funds for conserving biodiversity. It is a need of an hour to shift from human rights to planetary rights and nurture the thought of environmental responsibility, he added.

Technical Session IV, titled “Reflections and Key Takeaways”, provided a comprehensive review of the discussions held in technical sessions over the two days. Chaired by Hon’ble Justice P. S. Narsimha, Judge, Supreme Court of India, and co-chaired by Hon’ble Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, Judicial Member, NGT, the session summarized key environmental concerns and proposed a roadmap for legal and policy advancements. Hon’ble Justice P.S. Narsimha emphasized the effective execution and implementation of policies. Focusing on institutional integrity, he proposed to strengthen and empower the regulatory bodies to function effectively at the grassroots level.

The event was also marked by the felicitation of universities and students for their outstanding contributions towards environmental conservation and sustainable practices. This initiative was aimed at motivating young minds to continue their efforts to ensure a cleaner and greener future.