Piyush Goyal accuses developed nations of driving the climate crisis and failing to deliver promised climate finance to developing countries, while defending India's clean energy efforts.
Piyush Goyal blames developed nations for climate crisis (Photo:ITG)
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday blamed developed nations for the climate crisis, accusing them of contributing disproportionately to carbon emissions while failing to deliver promised financial support to developing countries.
“Who's responsible for this mess in the first place? Where did the ozone layer get damaged? Who sent all that carbon into the atmosphere?” Goyal said at a roundtable at the Berlin Global Dialogue.
“I represent 17% of the world's population, but my contribution to carbon emissions is less than 3%. You (Europe) represent probably 3% or 4% of the world's population, yet your contribution to those carbon emissions — or this mess — is humongous. The problem was caused by you,” he said.
Goyal's remarks came amid a dispute over climate finance commitments made by developed countries to support developing nations in addressing climate change and reducing their emissions.
Recalling the 2015 Paris climate conference, Goyal said developed countries had agreed to pay a greater share of the costs of tackling climate change and support developing countries, including vulnerable island nations.
“It was agreed that the developed countries, who have enjoyed the fruits of messing up the climate for so many decades, will pay a greater price, and will support the developing and less developed countries, as well as island nations in the Pacific and the Caribbean... Just $100 billion a year. That was the commitment,” he said.
Criticising what he described as the failure to honour the pledge, Goyal said, “Eleven years later, we haven't seen a nickel or a dime of that. It's all promises.”
He also questioned the European Union's position on climate finance and its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which imposes carbon-related costs on certain imports.
“They have failed to respond adequately to the needs of less-developed countries or support them in their decarbonisation efforts,” Goyal said.
The $100 billion annual climate finance goal was first agreed upon by developed countries at the 2009 UN climate conference in Copenhagen, with the target set for 2020. The commitment was subsequently extended through 2025 under the Paris Agreement.
Goyal also contrasted India's per capita emissions with those of Europe, arguing that wealthy countries should bear greater responsibility for addressing climate change.
“Even today, as we sit here, my per capita contribution to carbon emissions is probably less than 10% or 15% of yours. Even today, Europe's per capita contribution to carbon emissions — and its per capita environmental impact — is probably seven or eight times that of India,” he said.
He said India had to balance climate action with the needs of its large population.
“I also have to meet the needs of 1.4 billion people. I have to meet their energy needs, their food needs, and ensure that my nation remains secure. Despite all of that, we have one of the world's fastest-growing clean energy programmes,” Goyal said.
The OECD has reported that developed countries collectively met the $100 billion climate finance target in 2022, two years after the original deadline. However, developing nations have continued to raise concerns about the adequacy, accessibility and form of climate finance, including the reliance on loans rather than grants.
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