DUBAI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged fellow leaders to act together and provide developing countries with technology and finance to combat climate change, in his opening remarks at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, reported German news agency (dpa).
“Mother Earth looks to us for protecting her future,” Modi said on Friday.
Developing countries need a fair share of the carbon budget, Modi argued. “We must rise above self-interest and transfer technology to others.”
He said India was a model for balancing the needs of the environment and economy, adding that the transition to green energy across the world must be just and inclusive.
India’s economic growth is currently heavily dependent on fossil fuels, especially coal, and the country is among the top contributors to greenhouse gases.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Thursday said India would continue to depend on coal for the bulk of its energy.
Modi reiterated India’s ambitious national commitments – to reduce emissions by 45 per cent by 2030, compared to 2005; to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in the country’s energy basket to 50 per cent by 2030, and to become carbon neutral by 2070.
India would host the annual conference in 2028, he added. – Bernama, dpa
