'Carbon emission blame wrongly placed': PM Modi defends India, other developing nations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the responsibility for carbon emissions is often “wrongly placed” on developing countries.

Speaking at the International Conference on ‘The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics’ in New Delhi, PM Modi said that India’s per capita carbon emissions stood at “less than half of the global average”.

“We are all aware that the responsibility for carbon emissions has often been wrongly placed on developing countries. Many of my colleagues from the Global South are present here. Yet, the historical reality remains that, even today, India's per capita carbon emissions are less than half of the global average," PM Modi told the delegates in Vigyan Bhawan.

He said India is focusing on renewable energy and has fulfilled its Paris (COP-21) climate commitments ahead of schedule, highlighting the country’s progress in areas such as non-fossil fuel capacity and solar energy.

“Over the past 12 years, India has made extraordinary progress in every field connected to the environment, in every sector. Our major focus has been on renewable energy, and this has played a significant role in environmental protection. India is the only country in the G-20 that has fulfilled its commitments made at the COP-21 Summit in Paris ahead of schedule. We're focusing on renewable energy. We're the only nation in G20 that has already fulfilled its Paris (COP 21) commitments, well before its timeline. This is the power of New India," the PM added.

What is the conference about?

The two-day conference is being organised by the National Green Tribunal on September 19 and 20. The conference focuses on issues related to the environment and climate dynamics and brings together judicial, governmental and legal stakeholders.

The inaugural session was also attended by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant, Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav, Attorney General R Venkataramani and NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava.

The conference witnesses the participation of environmental experts, Judges of the Supreme Court of India and High Courts, District Court Judges, Secretaries of various Ministries, senior government officials, representatives of State Judicial Academies, State Legal Services Authorities, State Expert Appraisal Committees (SEACs), State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs), State Wetland Authorities and other stakeholders. It will also bring together eminent Judges and judicial representatives from 17 countries.

The valedictory session on Sunday will be attended by President Murmu, along with Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power, Manohar Lal; Supreme Court judge Justice PS Narasimha; NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava; and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

The conference will bring together judges from different countries, environmental experts, judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, district court judges, senior government officials and representatives of various institutions and environmental bodies.

According to the NGT, the conference will provide a platform for discussions on major environmental and climate challenges facing the world. It will focus on identifying gaps in policy-making and implementation, sharing successful practices and strengthening cooperation among institutions and stakeholders.

The two-day event will feature four technical sessions on key environmental issues and aim to develop a roadmap for addressing present and future environmental and climate challenges.

The NGT said the conference is aimed at strengthening environmental justice and institutional cooperation while promoting dialogue on the growing challenges arising from the relationship between environment, climate change, development and justice.