Climate anxiety can't force us to compromise basic needs: Bhupender Yadav

India has the right to grow responsibly based on national circumstances and the climate anxiety gripping the world cannot force it to give up its right to ensure food, water and energy for its people, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Saturday.

Addressing the National Conference on Environment, organised by the National Green Tribunal, he said rapid economic growth is the best defense against climate change for developing nations.

The minister also said India is committed to mitigating climate change and has met its Paris Agreement commitments on green energy nine years ahead of the 2030 target.

"India reserves its right to grow responsibly based on our national circumstances... But the climate anxiety which has gripped the world cannot force India to give up its right to ensure food, water, energy... to its 140 crore people. India is confidently striking a balance between challenges and opportunities," he said.

Yadav said that under the Paris Agreement, the world agreed that the global fight against climate change must be based on the principles of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDRRC).

"The agreement states climate action will be based on national circumstance and address the concerns of poverty alleviation. Poverty eradication is the main problem for developing countries," he said.

Yadav recalled that when 35 per cent of the developing world and one-third of India was in the grip of hunger in the 1970s, the developed world did not eat less to redistribute food to the hungry.

"We instead chose the path of (the) Green Revolution. Our scientific community rose to the challenge and increased yields through better varieties of seeds, more fertilisers and better technology," he said.

The minister said India is focused on capacity-building, knowledge-sharing and collaborating with the world to meet the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification.

"We are ramping up innovations in low-carbon technologies. We believe rapid economic growth is the best defence against climate change for developing nations. And so, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi is steering the nation towards green growth with programmes such as the National Green Hydrogen Mission," he said.

Yadav said the Nuclear Energy Mission, introduced in Budget 2025-26, is poised to accelerate nuclear power development, positioning India as a global leader in advanced nuclear technology by 2047.

As one of the world's largest and fastest-growing economies, India is not only focusing on reducing its carbon footprint but also on creating millions of jobs through the green energy sector, he said.