Developed nations must fulfill  their commitments over climate change: Bhupender Yadav

New Delhi: Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that if the fight against climate change has to be fought, developed nations must fulfill their commitments of the Paris Agreement to climate finance and technology transfer to developing nations.

Replying to a discussion on climate change in the Lower House, Yadav said, “The developed countries had pledged $100 billion to the developing countries but they did not fulfill their commitment so far. If the fight against climate change has to be fought by the developed and developing nations together, then developed nations will have to give two facilities to developing nations — climate finance and technology transfer.”

Underlining that the PM has often talked about climate justice, Yadav said developed nations who are chiefly responsible for carbon emissions must take responsibility.

He added that the share of developed countries, which account for 17 per cent of the world’s population, in global carbon emissions is 60 per cent, while that of India, which is home to 17 per cent of the world’s population, is just 4 per cent.

Yadav said, “India is the voice of developing nations in the world on the issue of climate change. The government and under Prime Minister’s leadership, India is among the few countries that not only set Nationally Determined Contributions in 2015 but achieved them before time, setting an example for others.”

He said India’s lifestyle can teach the world how to live in harmony with the environment, he asserted.

Noting that climate change affects everyone, transcending borders, Yadav said the new cyclones hitting India’s coastal areas in the last few years show that “we are also vulnerable.”

“The time is over when India’s voice was not heard on international platforms. “Under PM Modi, India has created a strong identity for itself and the world community can neither suppress its voice nor ignore it,” he said.

 Another achievement of COP26 from India’s point of view is that the country has become a “strong voice” of developing nations demanding equal treatment for themselves on climate change issues, the Minister said.