UNION Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar on Wednesday said India will raise its climate ambitions but “not under pressure”, and that it will not allow anybody to forget their historical responsibility. However, the Environment Ministry later issued a clarification stating Javdekar “had only said that India will ‘over achieve’ its commitment made in Paris and not said that India will ‘raise its ambitions’”. India is suffering because of the mistakes of others and “is not responsible for climate change that is happening”, he said at a climate conference at the French Embassy after meeting French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

 

Javdekar’s remarks come ahead of US President Joe Biden’s summit on climate. President Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to the virtual summit, scheduled between April 22 and April 23, to underscore the urgency and the economic benefits of stronger climate action. United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry had also met Javdekar and Prime Minister Modi last week in this regard. French Minister le Drian said the consequences will be disastrous if the world is not able to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, or even 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

 

That’s why it is absolutely indispensable that all countries increase their climate commitments by the time the COP26 takes place in Glasgow, as required by the Paris Agreement, he said. “This increase in ambition must include setting new nationally determined contributions by 2030 and also long-term strategies to achieve carbon neutrality. We must stop building new coal-based power plants and it is essential that we progressively stop this mode of electricity production at a global level,” le Drian said. Javdekar said, “We will complete our commitments, raise our ambitions but...not at the behest of or under pressure. We will also ask countries to provide finance and technological support and we will also ask them of their (climate) actions.” He said India is the only G-20 country to walk the talk on the Paris climate agreement and “we have done more than we promised”.

 

The Minister said that the frequency of abnormal (weather) events has increased but “let us not forget that this is not a new phenomenon”. “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 in climate debate. “We cannot just forget it (historical responsibility), and we will not allow anybody to forget it,” Javdekar said. Everyone is facing common threats, but those who have polluted will have to act more, he said. “They committed in Copenhagen, 100 billion dollars per year…but where is the money. There is no money in sight,” he said.