India to ensure CBDR principle is respected and rich nations pay back their debt for overdraft on carbon space: Javadekar

Javadekar said that for India, the question is of the present and future of 1.27 billion people and their aspirations to develop.

The following is the text of the statement made by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar, on the completion of The Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP)process atParisand on the eve of the start of high-level segment of Conference of Parties (COP) 21:

“We are at this time midway on our journey to reach a new climate agreement, but substance-wise, we are not midway, but sometimes at crossroads. India is ready and committed to work with French Presidency which has done a monumental job over the last one year to build political momentum. India is also determined not to make Paris Summit like past summits where we all returned home with false optimism and fictitious hopes," the Minister said.

"For India it is a question of present and future lives of our 1.27 billion people with aspirations to develop. We will not let this meeting fail to reach its objectives. India is here to ensure that seminal principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) is respected, and India is here to ensure that Rich countries pay back their debt for overdraft that they have drawn on the carbon space. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a global climate constitution. It is fundamental. Any attempt to rewrite or to overwrite will not be acceptable to anybody. Our collective decision should be based on science, CBDR and collective conscience," he said.