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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for comprehensive, equitable and durable agreement that respects equity and differentiated responsibility on reducing greenhouse gases. Speaking during the formal launch of India Pavilion at the Paris summit, Mr Narendra Modi cautioned that climate change is a major global challenge and is the result of global warming that occurred because of the prosperity and progress of an Industrial Age powered by fossil fuels. He said the developed world should leave carbon space to the emerging economies to grow as this problem has not been created by developing world.
Quoting extensively from Vedas and Mahatma Gandhi he said that the Indian tradition is living with nature rather than to exploit it. Advising developed nations to leave carbon space for the developing countries he urged for partnership between technology and development. Prime Minister Modi also launched a book Parampara or Tradition,which is based on India’s culture of climate friendly sustainable practices.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that an innovation must be backed by means to make it accessible to all. He was speaking today during the launch of ‘Innovation Mission’ hosted by US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of Paris Climate summit. Mr. Modi said access to energy and better life is universal aspiration and so are the clean environment and healthy habitats. He said we must come together in partnership to bring clean energy within reach to all. Mr. Modi also praised French President Francois Hollande and people of France for their courage and resolve on hosting the event. France was rattled by series of terror terror strike just two weeks before the summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met in Paris today on the sidelines of the climate meet. This is the first meeting between the two leaders after Ufa in Russia on June 10, where they held bilateral talks on the sidelines of multilateral conferences, and decided on number of initiatives to take forward the relationship. External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted that PM Narendra Modi meets Pakistan’s PM Nawaz Sharif at COP 21 in Paris.
Addressing the summit, US President Barack Obama said as the leader of the world’s largest economy and the second largest greenhouse gas emitter, the United States of America not only recognises its role in creating this problem, we embrace our responsibility to do something about it.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said it is crucial the climate talks addresses economic differences between nations and allowed different countries to develop their own solutions to the problem of global warming. It is important to respect the differences among countries, especially developing countries, he said.
French President Francois Hollande has warned of obstacles for the 195-nation summit in reaching a compulsory deal in Paris, including the legality of any accord, financing for poorer countries and monitoring of countries’ pledges to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa said an environmental debt needs to be paid. An international court for environmental justice should be set up. It is not understandable that we have courts to force countries to pay financial debts but we do not have a court to enforce environmental debts.
Prince Charles of Britain said humanity faces many threats but none is greater than climate change. In damaging our climate we are becoming the architects of our own destruction. We have the knowledge, the tools and the money to solve the crisis, he said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the aim of the summit is a binding U.N. framework and a binding review mechanism to close the gap between the impact on global warming of promised measures and the work required to limit rising temperatures.
UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon has urged the negotiators to choose the path of compromise and consensus. Bold climate action is in the national interest of every single country represented at this conference. The time for brinksmanship is over, he said.