(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned on the opening day of a global climate summit Monday that poor nations had a right to burn carbon to grow their economies, underscoring one of the major obstacles to a universal deal to tame the warming of the planet.
Modi issued the challenge to rich nations as 150 world leaders opened a 12-day United Nations conference in Paris, aiming to limit emissions of heat-trapping gases blamed for global warming.
"Justice demands that, with what little carbon we can still safely burn, developing countries are allowed to grow," he wrote in a column published in the Financial Times.
"The lifestyles of a few must not crowd out opportunities for the many still on the first steps of the development ladder."
Developing nations insist that industrialised countries should do more to cut emissions, having polluted for much longer.
That principle, known as "differentiated responsibility", was enshrined in UN negotiations more than 20 years ago.
Since then, fast-growing China and India have become the world's number one and four carbon emitters, however, and other erstwhile "developing" countries have scaled the economic ladder.
Rich countries insist that realistically the burden must be shared more evenly if the world is to have a chance of limiting global warming to less than two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.