India is not Responsible for Climate Change That is Happening: Javadekar

Prakash Javadekar has said that India will raise its climate ambitions, but it is not responsible for climate change that is happening.

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar while addressing the press after a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at the French Embassy has said that India will raise its climate ambitions but not under pressure, and that it will not allow anybody to forget their historical responsibility. Adding that India is suffering because of the mistakes of others and that “it is not responsible for climate change that is happening.”

Underlining that India is a responsible country, Javadekar was quoted by wire agency PTI stating, “we will complete out commitments, raise our ambitions but not under pressure. And we will also ask countries to provide finance and technological support and about their (climate) actions.”

Shri @PrakashJavdekar stressed the need for historical responsibility, equity, CBDR-RC, #climatefinance, national circumstances, affordable technology, climate justice, etc. while tackling #climatechange and that no one should profit from climate change. pic.twitter.com/LAg2aEtNVr

— MoEF&CC (@moefcc) April 14, 2021

The minister also said that the collaboration between India and France will go “deep and deeper”, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron have an “unusual good chemistry amongst themselves.”

“What we are suffering today was caused 100 years ago. European and American countries and China, in the last 30 years, emitted (greenhouse gases) and therefore, the world is suffering… India is suffering because of the actions of others,” he said, adding that historical responsibility is a very important aspect of the climate debate. “We cannot just forget it (historical responsibility), and we will not allow anybody to forget it,” he added.

Everyone is facing common threats, but those who have polluted will have to act more, the minister reiterated.

In January, the ministry speaking along the same lines had said that he believes that only India is keeping its commitments on climate change, despite accounting for only six to seven percent of total carbon emissions in the world. Speaking at a webinar organised by the merchants’ chamber of commerce and industry, the Union Minister also claimed that the country is not responsible for climate change, but it is working towards enhancing the generation of solar and renewable energy.