9.45 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met United States President Barack Obama in Paris on Monday on the sidelines of the United Nations climate change conference. He said that India will fulfil all its responsibilities with regard to climate change, take forward development and protect the environment together. Ahead of his meeting with Obama, Modi had said that there was an urgent need to craft a comprehensive, equitable and durable agreement to limit global warming, reported PTI.
7 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described climate change as a “major global challenge”, but added that it wasn’t one created by India. While inaugurating the India Pavilion at the United Nations climate change conference in Paris, Modi said that India wants the world to work with urgency to agree on a comprehensive, equitable and durable agreement at the summit, reported PTI.
The prime minister added that India’s progress is “our destiny and right of our people. But we must also lead in combating climate change”. India has announced that 40% of its installed power capacity will be from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. It has also pledged to curb its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 35% from the 2005 level, said the report.
6.30 pm: United States President Barack Obama on Monday said that the United Nations climate change conference in Paris represents an act of defiance after the terror attacks in the city earlier this month, in which 130 people were killed. He also urged the 150 world leaders gathered for the summit to act to secure a future for humanity, reported AFP. Obama said, "The future is one that we have the power to change right here right now, but only if we rise to this moment."
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that it is imperative to respect differences between countries’ level of development and the ability to cut emissions, reported The Guardian. He added that addressing climate change should not impair countries’ ability to develop. The Paris conference is not the finishing line, but a new starting point, he said, adding that all countries, in particular developed countries, should assume more responsibilities.
6 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met French President Francois Hollande in Paris ahead of the United Nations climate change conference and said that India will have a “constructive and positive” mindset at the summit, which begins today. Modi asserted that “credibility of commitments” to combat climate change by nations will be the key to a successful global pact during the summit, reported PTI. Modi will also deliver a speech on India’s stand on climate change, and jointly launch the International Solar Alliance with Hollande later in the day.
Modi also met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the summit, with no details emerging yet of the topic of their discussions. Modi and Sharif shook hands in the lobby of the conference venue and then sat down on a sofa where they were seen talking animatedly, reported PTI. According to reports, the meeting between the two leaders was unscheduled. It was their first meeting since June this year, when they had decided on a number of steps to take forward the relationship between the two countries.
3.15 pm: Modi wrote in a column in the Financial Times on Monday that it would be “morally wrong” for developed countries that powered their way to prosperity on fossil fuels to shift the burden of reducing emissions on developing nations like India. He said that the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities “should be the bedrock of our collective enterprise”. He asked developed nations to fulfil their duty to shoulder the greater burden of the fight against climate change, reported PTI.
The prime minister wrote, “Justice demands that, with what little carbon we can still safely burn, developing countries are allowed to grow.” Making his case for India, he said, “We are striving to meet the aspirations of 1.25 billion people, 300 million more of whom will soon have access to modern sources of energy while 90 million gain running water.”
Modi added that India is experiencing the impact of climate change caused by the industrial age of the developed world. He assured that India will play its part in fighting climate change. “We have pledged that, by 2030, we will reduce emissions intensity by at least 33% of 2005 levels, and 40% of installed power capacity will be from non-fossil fuel sources,” he wrote. The prime minister also reiterated his plans to launch an alliance of 121 solar-rich countries, with an aim of bringing affordable solar power to remote villages.
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