‘Paris promises will not deter India growth’

The commitments made in the Paris climate summit will not have any adverse effect on the country’s development and India will be able to achieve sustainable growth while reducing its carbon emissions, Union minister of state for environment, forests and climate change Prakash Javadekar assured Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Javadekar, while replying to a host of questions on India’s commitments in the recently-concluded Paris summit during the Question Hour session in the Lok Sabha, said that the outcome of the summit was a victory for the nation and the country would reduce its carbon emissions.

“...We have made a very ambitious target and all non-fossil fuel energy mix capacity will be increased up to 40 per cent.... We will walk the talk. We will be energy efficient. We will reduce our emission intensity but at the same time, we will not stop our growth path. We will achieve sustainable growth ,” he said. Earlier this month, 195 countries reached a deal to attempt to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than two degree celsius at the climate change summit in Paris.

Elaborating on the outcome of the Paris climate talks, the environment minister said it has been decided that differentiated action would be taken by developed and developing countries with respect to reducing carbon emissions. A target has been set to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in forests, he added.