India has potential to be leader in green technology: Ramesh

As he heads for crucial negotiations at UN climate change meet, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said India has the potential to become a world leader in green technology especially in nuclear energy.

Trying to put across the message at the global platform that India need not always be seen as a recipient of technology, Ramesh said, "I have been saying repeatedly that challenge of climate change is god-sent opportunity to Indian business to become world leader in green technology.

"Let us not always keep talking of technology transfer," the minister, who will leave on Friday for Cancun, Mexico to attend the ongoing climate change meet, said.

Ramesh pointed out that in nuclear and clean coal sector areas the country is doing exceedingly well and asserted that India need not look towards developed countries to provide technology but can be its major supplier.

 Developed nations have been reluctant to transfer technology and the thorny issue threatens to hamper the climate change negotiations at Cancun as happened during last year's Copenhagen climate talks.

"I think we should shelve our defensiveness, we should be bold, aggressive and pro-active. We need to take steps to be a leader in green technology in our interest as no other country will be affected (by climate change) as profoundly as India," he said at fifth Sustainability Summit here.

In the field of nuclear energy, he said, India within a next couple of years would be the major supplier in the world.

"In fact two years from now world's only operating fast breeder reactor will be in India and the whole world will look towards India for technology in the nuclear arena," he said.

Similarly, in the clean coal sector "no country in the world is providing incentive as we are. We have the expertise and capabilities."

However, Ramesh was of the opinion that more needs to be done in the solar and wind sector where India continues to lag behind countries like China, Japan and South Korea which are excelling in green technology.

"Climate change brings an opportunity and this is the fact that has been grasped by China, Japan and South Korea. But we are still defensive in our approach in climate change.

"Those solution will not be only for the Indian market but for the world market as well," the Minister noted.

The 193-nation meet is striving to conclude agreements for mobilising funds for developing countries and giving them green technology to help them shift from fossil fuels.

India along with other BASIC countries --China, South Africa and Brazil-- has made it clear that they were not keen on the short-term fast-track fund being offered by the developed nations but it should be given to the Least Developed Countries, African nations and island states.