Union Minister Prakash Javadekar attends UN Climate Action Summit

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said US President Donald Trump's presence at UN Climate Action Summit during Prime Minister Narendra Modi speech shows that soft diplomacy works.

"Today's sensation is that US President came to listen to Modiji's speech on climate. Chemistry and friendship developed and it was presented to the world at "Howdy, Modi!". It is also an example of how and to what extent soft diplomacy works," Mr Javadekar told ANI in New York.

Mr Trump attended the UN climate summit even though the US pulled out of the accord in 2017, saying, "The Paris accord will undermine (the US) economy and will put (the US) at a permanent disadvantage." President Trump, however, did not deliver a speech at the summit.

The world witnessed Mr Modi and Mr Trump's bonhomie at the "Howdy, Modi!" event where the two leaders echoed similar sentiments on several issues, including terrorism, trade and defence.

At the climate summit, PM Modi announced potentially far-reaching ambitious solutions in 9 areas, including a global transition to renewable energy, sustainable and resilient infrastructures and cities, sustainable agriculture and management of forests and oceans, resilience and adaptation to climate impacts and alignment of public and private finance with a net-zero economy.

"Today, Modiji gave an account of what action India has taken. He has raised the bar from 175 GW to 450 GW of renewable energy," said Mr Javadekar.