PM’s stern message to rich nations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday India did not create the climate change menace but was suffering its consequences while he delivered a stern message to affluent nations, saying “those with luxury of choices should sharply reduce emissions”.

His comments came on the sidelines of a high-stakes United Nations conference in Paris where over 150 world leaders have gathered in a bid to nail down a pact to limit global warming amid deep divisions between rich and poor countries.

“Climate change is a major global challenge. But it is not of our making. It is the result of global warming that came from prosperity and progress of an industrial age powered by fossil fuel,” he said while inaugurating the India pavilion at the summit, toughening his country’s stand in the face of US criticism of India.

“But we in India face consequences. We see the risk to our farmers. We are concerned about rising oceans that threaten our 7,500 km of coastline and 1,300 islands. We worry about the glaciers that feed our rivers and nurture our civilisation.”

Modi said India wants a “comprehensive equitable and durable agreement”, underscoring a demand of less-privileged nations who have said as developed countries have been the major polluters over the years, they should assume a greater role in fighting global warming.

He clearly outlined India’s strategy for the 10-day-long summit, saying the developed world should provide easy access to cleaner technologies, climate finance and right to carbon space.

He also recalled the contributions of various Indian leaders, without naming them, from the first environment conference in Stockholm in 1972 – where former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was among the few heads of state to participate – to Copenhagen in 2009 where Manmohan Singh was present.