UN seeks India's support on climate change

The UN has sought India's support on climate change as the international community enters the final year of negotiations for securing a meaningful and universal agreement on the pressing global issue in Paris next year.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked India for its support on climate change following his meeting with Prakash Javadekar, India's Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Chang, in Lima yesterday.

The UN Chief commended India for the active engagement on the issue of climate change, particularly its plan for a major increase in solar power, a readout of the Secretary-General's meeting with Javadekar issued by his spokesperson here said.

He asked for the country's strong support as "we enter the final year of negotiations to secure a meaningful, universal agreement in Paris in 2015," the readout said.

Ahead of the UN climate talks in the Peruvian capital, Ban had said he would like India to spell out its nationally determined commitment on reducing emissions by June next year, saying a continued 'key and constructive' role played by India will make a universal climate agreement possible in Paris.

Addressing the climate conference, Javadekar said the new post-2020 agreement should ensure a balance between mitigation and adaptation and stressed the urgent need for adaptation to be fully reflected in the new agreement.

"Developing countries will not get the carbon space to achieve sustainable development unless there is more ambitious commitments from developed countries in the pre-2020 era," he said.

"If we believe that the global warming threat is real, then we must deliver on the agreed commitments as a matter of priority," he said, adding that developed countries must scale up their mitigation ambition now and urgently fulfil their promises for providing financial and technological support to developing countries.