India also said the present crisis on climate change is the “inability” of the United States to put on the table credible emissions reduction targets for 2020. “We are not part of the problem, but we want to be part of the solution,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said.
The New York meet came ahead of the crucial United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December.
Ramesh said it was wrong to blame India for the deadlock on the global climate change talks, and that it was prepared to be an “active player in working towards an agreement.” Asked about India being dubbed uncooperative and stubborn, Jairam said: “Not at all. I think the world is completely wrong on this. We have got an image that is contrary to what we have been doing.
The message that I am trying to convey is that we have not caused the problem of global warming, but we want to be part of the solution at Copenhagen. We want to be a deal maker not the deal breaker.”
The previous George W Bush administration in the United States long cited inaction by China and India as the reason for rejecting mandatory cuts in greenhouse gases. The minister also said India’s national climate plan envisages voluntary mitigation measures by 2020.
