PM Modi to make first US visit since re-election in September, will participate in UNGA and address Indian-American communities in Houston

Confirming the dates of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attendance at the UN Climate Action Summit 2019, sources have said PM Modi will be visiting at the UN general assembly in New York from September 20 to 23, later this year.

According to PTI, PM Modi will also address Indian-Americans in Houston and Chicago during his trip. Houston is the energy capital of the world. Energy security is a priority area for the Prime Minister.

PM Modi's previous addresses to Indian-American communities

This would be Modi's third major address to the Indian-American community after he became the Prime Minister in 2014. The previous two were at the Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014 and Silicon Valley in 2016. Both the events were attended by more than 20,000 people. Anticipating a larger crowd, authorities are looking at multipurpose NRG Stadium in Houston, which has a seating capacity of 70,000 people.  

Houston has one of the largest concentrations of the Indian American community in the US. The Texas Governor and Mayor of Houston had visited India last year. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is now the Energy Secretary, has a close affinity with India and Indian Americans.

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What is UN Climate Action Summit 2019?

According to the official website, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all leaders to come to New York on 23 September with concrete, realistic plans to enhance their nationally determined contributions by 2020, in line with reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent over the next decade, and to net zero emissions by 2050.

The Summit will also bring together governments, the private sector, civil society, local authorities and other international organizations to develop ambitious solutions in six areas - renewable energy, resilient infrastructures, agriculture and management of oceans, climate impact adaptation and alignment of public and private finance with a net-zero (no carbon emissions) economy.

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PM Modi's climate goals

PM Modi targets having 40% non-fossil fuel powered capacity by 2030. India also has an ambitious target of 175 GW of renewable energy by the year 2022. As of May 2019, India had 80 gigawatts of renewable capacity. Also as per current renewable energy projects, all non-fossil fuel sources will form 65% of the total installed capacity and contribute around 48% of gross electricity generation, surpassing PM Modi's expectations. India is projected to overtake the US as the world’s second-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide from the power sector before 2030, as per World Energy Outlook reports.