Ahead of G20 Summit, PM Modi asks rich nations to soften climate demands

By Swati Gupta

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants rich nations to take a more constructive attitude on helping developing countries battling with climate change, saying it must come with action on financing and technology transfers. 

“We believe there is a need to move away from a purely restrictive attitude of what should not be done to a more constructive attitude focusing on what can be done to fight climate change,” Modi wrote in an opinion piece in the Times ahead of the Group of Twenty Summit. 

Modi said many countries in the Global South are at various stages of development when it comes to addressing climate change and action needs to be complementary. “Ambitions for climate action must be matched with actions on climate finance and transfer of technology,” he said in the op-ed.  

India has pulled out all stops for the summit to underline its position on the global stage and become a counterweight to China. This week, New Delhi has been attempting to shift the focus from the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the agenda pursued by the G20 delegates.

The G20 nations will aim to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 and offer support to technology that can sustain the use of fossil fuels, easing concerns from Russia and Saudi Arabia that had previously stalled a deal. Members will make a commitment to “pursue and encourage” efforts to meet the target to increase clean energy generation, Bloomberg reported. 

In another interview with Moneycontrol, Modi said India as the G20 president will launch a biofuel alliance helping countries to meet their energey needs while also “empowering a planet-friendly circular economy.”