Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that developing countries are often “unjustly blamed” for carbon emissions, despite India’s per-capita emissions being “less than half of the global average” and those of developed countries being six times higher.
He explained that a single standard inland vessel navigating these routes can carry a load equivalent to dozens of trucks. The PM was speaking at the inauguration of the conference, which was also attended by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant, Attorney General for India R Venkataramani and Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, alongside NGT’s chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava. Addressing the event, Justice Surya Kant highlighted India’s longstanding environmental jurisprudence, noting that the Supreme Court has, over the decades, has recognised the right to a pollution-free environment as a fundamental right and developed principles including the precautionary principle, polluter pays principle, absolute liability and public trust doctrine.
Pointing to alternative eco-friendly transport modes, the PM also celebrated the operationalisation of approximately 5,000 kilometers of inland waterways across the country.
“This too is providing great help in environmental conservation,” he noted, adding that sweeping changes across the entire mobility sector serve as undeniable proof of the nation’s balanced growth trajectory.
He also stressed India’s historical connection to nature, emphasising how ancient cultural wisdom is shaping modern climate solutions.
“Developing nations are unjustly blamed, despite developed nations emitting up to six times more carbon per capita than India,” he said while addressing the inauguration of the International Conference on “The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics” where he launched the NGT mobile application. “India is now providing solutions to modern climate challenges,” he said, adding that the global narrative around carbon footprints is flawed.
