EU, US major polluters, India sufferer: Government

New Delhi, March 19

The government on Friday said India was a sufferer, not a perpetrator of climate change, and European Continent and the US were top carbon emitters.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar shared historical carbon emission data in the Lok Sabha during the question hour today and said between 1751 and 2017, the European Continent contributed 514 billion tonnes to global carbon emissions, which was 33 per cent of the entire burden.

“I have data from 1751 to 2017. The European Continent contributed 33 per cent – 514 billion tonnes — of historical emissions over this period. The US has contributed 25 per cent — 400 billion tonnes; China contributed over 13 per cent — 200 billion tonnes, while India contributed 48 billion tonnes. Our net emissions are much lower and we are absolutely not responsible for climate change,” Javadekar said answering questions on the Paris Climate Change Agreement of which India is a signatory.

“We are the sufferers. Our stand is firm. The developed nations should reduce their carbon emissions and transfer low-cost technology to the developing nations to help them reduce their emissions,” Javadekar said, adding that not every environmental event was caused by climate change. He was referring to forest fires and Chamoli floods. “Every natural incident is not related to climate change alone. These events have a history that we see recur over years,” the minister said. — TNS

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