PM Modi highlights India’s low per capita emissions, backs nuclear expansion
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India’s per capita carbon emissions remain significantly below those of developed countries, arguing that developing nations should not bear disproportionate blame for climate change.
Speaking at an international conference on environment and climate on Saturday, Modi said India’s per capita emissions are less than half the global average. He also said developed nations emit around six times as much carbon per person as India.
The Prime Minister said India continues to raise this disparity in international forums while pursuing economic development alongside environmental goals.
Modi also highlighted the country’s expansion of renewable energy and nuclear power. He alleged that legal challenges are sometimes used to oppose government initiatives in the nuclear sector, despite nuclear energy being presented as a clean-energy option.
According to Modi, India has been progressing rapidly on its climate commitments and has already achieved its Paris Agreement commitments ahead of the timelines it had set.
He said India’s growing non-fossil fuel capacity and expansion of solar energy demonstrate that economic growth and environmental sustainability can be pursued together.