India PM will attend climate summit

Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh will attend an international climate summit in Copenhagen, a spokesman said, ending days of speculation about the country's level of representation at the conference.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend an international climate summit in Copenhagen Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend an international climate summit in Copenhagen [PA]

Mr Singh will address the UN summit during his two-day visit beginning December 17, said Muthu Kumar, a spokesman in the prime minister's office.

Earlier this week, India pledged to significantly slow the growth of its heat-trapping carbon emissions over the next decade, closely following pledges made by the United States and China to cut back their emission levels.

Mr Singh visited Washington DC last week, where US President Barack Obama strongly urged him to attend the Copenhagen summit.

Indian media had speculated for days about who would lead the Indian delegation at Copenhagen. Earlier, India had announced that it would be represented by environment minister Jairam Ramesh.

On Thursday, New Delhi announced plans to reduce the ratio of pollution to production by 20 to 25% compared with 2005 levels, although it would not accept a legally binding emissions reduction target.

India ranks fifth in world carbon dioxide emissions, accounting for 4.7% of the world's total. The US and China emit roughly 40% of the world's emissions, with Russia and Indonesia completing the top five emitting countries.

Comments Unavailable

Sorry, we are unable to accept comments about this article at the moment. However, you will find some great articles which you can comment on right now in our Comment section.

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?