Singh also said that India is committed to meeting its domestic mitigation goal of reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 20-25 per cent by 2020 compared with 2005 levels. He, however, criticised the developed world for not willing to enhance their "ambition levels."
"I would also like to mention that protection of the environment and promoting development need not amount to a zero sum game. What is required is regulatory regimes that are transparent, accountable and subject to oversight and monitoring," he said.
Addressing the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit organised by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) here on the theme "Global Challenge of Resource Efficient Growth and Development," Singh said, "Indeed, regulatory regimes are often the basic necessary condition to ensure that environmental and economic objectives are pursued in tandem."
His statement came at a time when a number of mining and infrastructure projects like South Korean steel giant Posco's Rs 52,000-crore plant in Odisha remained stalled due to delay in land and environment regulatory clearances.
Singh said climate change has become the face of many challenges in the pursuit of sustainable development and it can only be tackled through coordinated global action.
The Prime Minister hailed the industrialised world for adopting a second commitment period till 2020 under the Kyoto Protocol for emissions reductions, but said "real progress cannot be achieved if developed countries are not willing to enhance their ambition levels."
"For its part, our country is committed to meeting its domestic mitigation goal of reducing the emissions intensity of our GDP by 20-25 per cent by year 2020 compared with 2005 levels," he added. (MORE)
