India will urge developed nations to deliver "climate justice" for developing countries at the UN COP21 environmental conference in Paris later this month, environment minister Prakash Javadekar told AFP on Monday. Richer nations should commit to more stringent targets to free up "carbon space" for the developing world to achieve economic growth, asserted Javadekar. The environmental conference, which starts on November 30, will bring 190 nations together to seek the first ever global agreement on curbing Earth-warming emissions.

"India and the developing world have undertaken more than their fair share of responsibility, while developed countries have taken far less in terms of capacity," Javadekar said. He added that India will push for a "polluter pays" policy in Paris. Under this agreement, polluting countries bear the cost of the environmental damage they cause.

India has vowed to slash carbon intensity – the amount of pollution per dollar of GDP – by up to 35% by 2030, but refused to adhere to major carbon reduction targets. The United States and China are the only countries that emit more carbon than India, but they have agreed to commit to the reduction targets.