India, the world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States, has rebuffed demands to set a net zero carbon emissions target, claiming that developed countries are historically to blame for the climate catastrophe.
At next week's climate conference in Glasgow, the country is under pressure to disclose plans to become carbon neutral by mid-century.
However, India's environment secretary, R.P.Gupta, stated that the country was a "victim" of global warming and not a "contributor." He told reporters that declaring net zero emissions was not the answer to the climate crisis.
"It is how much carbon you are going to put in the atmosphere before reaching net zero that is more important," he said.
Gupta said it is more crucial for the world to chart a course to cut such emissions and avert a hazardous rise in global temperatures.
From Oct. 31 to Nov. 12, representatives from over 200 countries will gather in Glasgow, Scotland, for climate talks to boost action to combat global warming under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
According to officials, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the meeting as a sign that the government is taking climate change seriously. President Xi Jinping of China is not expected.
Countries are expected to declare new and improved intermediate objectives for reducing emissions while moving toward net zero.
The U.S., U.K., and the European Union have established a goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, at which point they will only emit the amount of greenhouse gases that forests, crops, soils, and still-embryonic carbon capture technologies can absorb.
Both China and Saudi Arabia have established targets for 2060, but critics argue that these are basically useless without immediate action.
Although India is now the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, it has only contributed 4% of global emissions since the 1850s, according to The Associated Press.
However, India's reliance on coal - it is the world's second largest consumer of fossil fuels and has massive reserves - is certain to remain.
Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav stated that India was on track to meet the targets established at the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference, but that they might be amended if necessary.
"All options are on the table," he said.
