US expects India to contribute more to tackle climate change

Acknowledging that India has taken "important steps" in combating climate change, the US has said it would like to see the country make a vital contribution to the broader global effort in meeting such challenges.
"We certainly would expect that India would contribute to this broader global effort and this is something that is economically challenging for India, as the Indian government would be the first to tell you," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters yesterday.
"But at the same time, we have seen India take important steps in the past, and there was, earlier in the President's administration, a commitment that was made by the Indians to limit hydrofluorocarbons," Earnest said.

"And these are pollutants that have a much more significant impact on bringing about climate change than just the burning of oil and gas," he said in response to a question on India's role in addressing the challenge of climate change ahead of the Paris Summit, which would be attended by both US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Noting that there has been a willingness on the part of the Indians in the past to make important commitments that contribute to this broader effort, Earnest said the US certainly would like to see a country with an economy as large as India to step up and make an important contribution to this effort.