Environmentalists and policy makers meet at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit to set the agendas for the 2015 climate change summit in Paris as India plays an influential role in U.N climate talks, often acting as the voice of the world's developing countries.
The 2015 Conference of Parties holds out a hope of reform for the U.N. system to rein in greenhouse gases blamed for causing heat waves, floods, droughts and rising sea levels.
The DSDS, which is a global platform for experts to hammer out goals for 2015 climate talks, aims at discussing sustainable development goals with emphasis on energy and environment and clean energy for all.
Chairman of U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Rajendra K. Pachauri, said that the three-day Delhi summit will be significant as far as the world's sustainable development goals were concerned.
"Well, I think the timing is extremely important you know, 2015 is an extremely significant for two reasons, firstly the sustainable development goals which are being discussed and debated by the UN General Assembly will get finalised and accepted," said Pachauri.
"And the second reason is that by the end of the year, we would have the Conference of the Parties where it is expected that we will have an agreement on climate change. So both of these are extremely momentous and significant developments and they also have a direct link together because you see sustainable development goals cannot possibly be in opposition to the actions that are required to deal with climate change," he added.
India has resisted pressure to commit to a timeline for capping emissions after the United States and China agreed in November to their own 'peak year', and is unlikely to agree to any formal targets now, say experts.
Pachauri feels the notion needs to be done away with as Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is enthusiastic about measures to combat effects of climate change.
"I think the prime minister, on several occasions, has clearly signified his support for taking action to deal with climate change and the government of India has now got extremely ambitious plan for harnessing renewable energy and on several occasions he has emphasised his total commitment to deal with climate change. So I don't see why people have that lingering doubt and if there is any, I'm sure in the next two or three months, that will be dispelled," Pachauri added.
The latest report from the IPCC stressed the risks of global warming and tried to make a stronger case for governments to adopt policy on adaptation and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
In UN climate negotiations, India defends the principle of "common but differentiated responsibility" - the concept that the burden of emissions reductions and financial assistance for poor countries should be borne by developed countries.
That reflects the view held by many in Delhi that India must be allowed to emit more if it is to industrialise and lift more people out of poverty, particularly as its per capita emissions are less than half the world average.
"I hope the discussions that we have in Paris will come out with some binding commitments for all countries. There are two factors to it, yes emerging economies need the support, the wherewithal for reaching or attaining the aspirations of their common people while the developed countries have had a certain pattern of lifestyle and its not possible for them to suddenly shed all of it and get back to the Stone Age," said Director, Sustainable Development Outreach, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Annapurna Vancheswaran.
"So there is a need for a middle ground that one would need to come to. However, for emerging economies and particularly a country like India, there is an opportunity to leap frog," she added.
She also said that the DSDS would help in raising the temperature for global discussions on sustainable development ahead of the Paris summit.
