India did not accede to the pressure from developed countries on the issue of fossil fuels at the UN climate conference in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday.
Responding to questions at a press conference here, he also said India is committed to meeting the energy needs of its people and will also have to rely on coal power until it achieves developed country status. [emphasis, links added]
Yadav said the country cannot meet the energy needs of its people by just “importing oil and gas”.
“While we are increasing our renewable capacity, we will also have to rely on coal power until we achieve the objective of a developed India,” he said.
India relies on coal for about 70 percent of its power generation and aims to add 17 gigawatts of coal-based power generation capacity in the next 16 months.
Responding to a question from PTI, Yadav said India “strongly resisted” the rich nations’ call for limitations on new and unabated coal power generation. “We said you cannot dictate or tie up any country.”
Around 40 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions stem from coal, with oil and gas accounting for the remaining percentage.
Developing countries, including India, pushed rich nations to take the lead in climate action, and “that’s why the climate conference in Dubai got extended”, Yadav said.
COP28 outcome revealed a “softening” of the language on developed countries taking the lead in moving away from fossil fuels, he said.
He said India accounts for 17 percent of the global population but its contribution to global carbon emissions is just four percent.
“Poverty eradication is a priority for many nations. So, we did not give in to the pressure from developed countries (to stop using fossil fuels),” Yadav said.
The minister said developed nations, which have taken up a large part of the carbon budget for 1.5 degrees Celsius (since the start of the Industrial Revolution) and spent it on their development, are required to provide finance and technological support to developing countries to help them combat climate change.
“We have different starting points. Countries that developed first, taking up a large part of the carbon budget in the process, should also take the lead in combating climate change.
“But they are pressuring developing nations to end the use of fossil fuels. We did not accept it (at COP28). We said efforts to (limit temperature rise to) 1.5 degrees Celsius should be seen in light of national circumstances and should adhere to (the principles of) equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.”
These principles acknowledge that countries’ efforts to combat climate change should be considered in light of their contributions to total emissions.
They also stress that wealthier nations should bear primary responsibilities due to their substantial historical emissions.
Read rest at The Week
Good to see India’s leaders protecting the interests of their electorate. Compare that to the Western liberals efforts to undermine our prosperity. The WEF calls the shots here, through anarchists and traitors like Trudeau and Biden. We’ll see at election time just how far they’re willing to go by breaking our laws.