Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that United States President Donald Trump’s allegations that India was extracting “billions of dollars in foreign aid” under the Paris climate accord was “factually incorrect”. He clarified that India’s actions to fight climate change had domestic funding, PTI reported.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Vardhan said that the US’ decision to withdraw from the Paris accord would affect efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions as well as international funding to fight climate change.
“The announcement of the US government to get out of the agreement is part of their domestic policy,” he said. “Media reports, however, indicate that the present US government does not believe in the occurrence of climate change.”
On Saturday, Scroll.in reported that the Centre had set up three research institutions to project a long-term low- carbon for India. This is the first step India has taken domestically to achieve its commitments under the Paris agreement.
The US withdrew from the Paris deal on June 1. The move drew criticism from a number of countries. The next day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said India was committed to protecting the climate, irrespective of the Paris accord.
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