Paris Climate Conference: India still has questions

Paris: India on Sunday hailed as “historic” the adoption of a legally-binding pact seeking to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius but said the deal could have been more ambitious had the developed nations shouldered more historical responsibilities.

Noting that the agreement acknowledges and recognises the development imperatives of India and other developing countries, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the accord also supported their right to development and their efforts to harmonise development with environment, while protecting the interests of the most vulnerable.

“Today is a historic day. What we have adopted is not only an agreement but a new ‘chapter of hope’ in the lives of 7 billion people. Mahatma Gandhiji used to say that ‘we have not inherited earth from our ancestors, but we have it on loan from future generations,” Javadekar said. “This is historic because it was not easy that all countries will agree to a reasonable ambitious deal. This has given a new hope, a new lease of life,” he said.

“We have today reassured our future generation that we all together will mitigate the challenge posed by climate change and we will give them a better future,” the Minister said. He also said the agreement could have been more ambitious as the actions of developed nations are “far below” than historical responsibilities.

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