Addressing a special session with the theme “Investing in a better future: Climate, energy, health” at the summit in the German resort of Schloss Elmau, Modi said access to energy shouldn’t the privilege of only the rich at a time when energy costs are increasing because of geopolitical tensions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pushed back against the suggestion that developing countries cause more damage to the environment at the G7 Summit, and said India, home to 17% of world population, accounts for only 5% of global carbon emissions.
Addressing a special session with the theme “Investing in a better future: Climate, energy, health” at the summit in the German resort of Schloss Elmau, Modi said access to energy shouldn’t the privilege of only the rich at a time when energy costs are increasing because of geopolitical tensions.
Germany, the current president of G7, invited the leaders of India, Indonesia, South Africa, Argentina and Senegal to the summit of seven of the world’s largest economies in an effort to strengthen global collaboration on issues such as climate action, health and energy security.
Modi also participated in another session focused on food security and gender equality, and held bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In his speech at the session on climate change and energy, Modi said: “Unfortunately, it is believed that there is a fundamental collision between the developmental goals of the world and environmental protection. There is also another misconception that poor countries and poor people cause more damage to the environment.”
Speaking in Hindi, he added, “Seventeen percent of the world’s population resides in India. But our contribution of global carbon emissions is only 5%. The main reason behind this is our lifestyle, which is based on the theory of co-existence with nature.”
India has shown over thousands of years, including in times of immense prosperity in the past and currently as the fastest growing large economy, that its commitment to the environment has not been “diluted even a single bit”, he said.
“All of you will also agree…that energy access should not be the privilege of the rich only – a poor family has the same rights on energy. And today when energy costs are sky-high due to geopolitical tensions, it is more important to remember this,” Modi said, referring to the spike in crude prices following the Ukraine crisis.
In recent years, India has repeatedly pushed developed countries to do more to meet climate action goals, including providing more funds and transferring technology to boost the adoption of green energy. It has also pushed back against calls from the West not to accelerate the purchase of discounted Russian energy and said its energy procurements will be based solely on national security interests.
Modi noted that India’s dedication to climate commitments is reflected in its performance, such as achieving the target of generating 40% of energy from non-fossil sources nine years before of the target of 2030, and completing the target of blending 10% ethanol in petrol five months ahead of the target.
India has the world’s first fully solar-powered airport and its railway system will become net zero in this decade, while the delivery of LED bulbs and clean cooking gas door-to-door has shown that millions of tons of carbon emissions can be prevented while ensuring energy for the poor, he said.
He hoped the rich countries of G7 will support the efforts of India, a huge market for clean energy technologies. “G7 countries can invest in research, innovation, and manufacturing in this field. The scale that India can provide for every new technology can make it affordable for the whole world,” he added.
-Hindustan Times