NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that developed nations produce six times more per capita carbon emissions than India, yet developing countries are often unfairly blamed for climate change.
Inaugurating an international conference on environment and climate, the prime minister also said that the country is working at a fast pace on nuclear energy generation.
But, he said, whenever he takes forward work on nuclear energy generation, those who preach most loudly about the environment actively oppose clean energy solutions by filing court cases to halt the government’s nuclear initiatives.
“We all know that the responsibility for carbon emissions has often been wrongly placed on developing countries. While the historical truth is that even today, India’s contribution to per capita carbon emissions is less than half of the global average,” he said at the two-day event being attended by environmental experts, Supreme Court judges, legal experts and senior government officials.
Modi said developed nations have six times more per capita carbon emissions compared to India and New Delhi strongly presents this fact on global platforms. “And I would say to every Indian: You too say this forcefully,” he said.
The prime minister said India is working with the rest of the world and is setting new standards for environmental protection. He asserted that “our development is both speedy, as well as sustainable”.
The prime minister said that India is focusing on renewable energy and is the only nation in G20 that has already fulfilled its Paris (COP 21) commitments, well before its timeline.
“This is the power of New India. Non-fossil fuels, solar energy capacity, stoppage on carbon emissions… India’s performance on all such metrics is being discussed across the world,” he said.
Modi said in the last 12 years, the country’s wind energy capacity has gone up three times and the hydro energy capacity has also seen a jump and now the country is working at a fast pace on nuclear energy generation.
“And people who give big lectures on environment, when I take forward the nuclear energy work, they will go to courts to stop it,” he said.
The prime minister said the government is also opening pathways to bring in private players in these sectors.
“With these efforts, India’s non-fossil energy capacity has grown by 400 per cent,” he said.
The prime minister said that over the past 12 years, India has made extraordinary progress in every field connected to the environment, in every sector.
“Our major focus has been on renewable energy, and this has played a significant role in environmental protection,” he said.
Modi said 12 years ago, India’s solar energy capacity was only 2 GW and today, it has crossed 160 GW.
He said with the ‘PM SuryaGhar Muft Bijli Yojana’, the government has started a mission to transform houses into solar-power generation centres.
“Under this mission, over 50 lakh houses now have rooftop solar panels. This is a number larger than the total number of houses in several countries,” he said.
The prime minister said his government has provided additional help of nearly Rs 80,000 to every such household with rooftop solar panels.
He said India’s wind energy capacity has witnessed 3X growth in the last 12 years and the country’s hydro-energy capacity has also seen robust growth.
Modi said India is rapidly working in areas like clean mobility and green hydrogen. Just a few days ago, India’s first hydrogen train ran, and it is the world’s longest hydrogen train, he noted. “This marks the beginning of a new era in clean mobility.”
The prime minister said before 2014, India had only 3,000 e-vehicles sold every year.
“Last year, nearly 25 lakh EVs were sold; an unbelievable growth. This is helping our environment. With FASTags, waiting time and fuel wastage at toll booths have reduced significantly,” he said.
Referring to the expansion of the metro network, Modi said before 2014, the country had only five cities with metro networks, covering less than 250 km.
Today, he said, India has over 1,000 km of metro network across 20 cities and the 100 per cent electrification of railways has also helped the country save crores of litres of diesel.
“That has also helped our environment. Our development is both speedy, as well as sustainable,” he said.
On the “unprecedented” work being carried out in water conservation, the prime minister said over 70,000 ‘Amrit Sarovars’ have been built.
“Under the ‘Catch the Rain’ initiative, nearly 1.5 crore water harvesting structures have been built across the nation,” he said.
Talking about the national mission on natural farming, Modi said the initiative has brought about a significant change.
“Clusters on natural farming have been created across 12.5 lakh hectares. About 3,000 varieties of climate-resilient crops have been developed. We are reducing our carbon footprints by promoting agroforestry. In the last 12 years, our very dense forest cover has grown by 22 per cent,” he said.
Highlighting plastic waste as one of the major challenges for the environment, the prime minister said India has already banned single-use plastic and the government is now promoting a circular economy with the mantra of reduce, reuse, and recycle.
“Today, thousands of tons of waste are being recycled every day in India. Through the Gobardhan scheme, cow dung and other organic waste in villages are also being converted into useful resources,” he said
Facts Only
* Developed nations produce six times more per capita carbon emissions than India.
* India’s contribution to per capita carbon emissions is less than half of the global average.
* India is working at a fast pace on nuclear energy generation.
* Opposition groups file court cases to halt government nuclear initiatives.
* India has achieved 3X growth in wind energy capacity over the last 12 years.
* Hydro energy capacity has also seen a jump.
* India has fulfilled its Paris (COP 21) commitments for renewable energy well before the timeline.
* India’s non-fossil energy capacity has grown by 400 per cent.
* Solar energy capacity grew from 2 GW twelve years ago to over 160 GW today.
* Over 50 lakh houses now have rooftop solar panels under the ‘PM SuryaGhar Muft Bijli Yojana’.
* India has built over 70,000 ‘Amrit Sarovars’ for water conservation.
* Clusters on natural farming cover 12.5 lakh hectares.
* The dense forest cover in India grew by 22 per cent in the last 12 years.
* Single-use plastic has been banned in India.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative pivots on a tension between global responsibility and national development momentum. The framing establishes an initial moral claim—that developed nations bear disproportionate historical emissions—which is then immediately leveraged to establish India’s legitimate position as an emerging, rapidly achieving power. This functions as a defense mechanism, shifting the focus from accountability for historical output (developed nations) to performance in present-day transition and growth (India). The counter-narrative regarding nuclear energy suggests that environmental advocacy intersects with state-level strategic energy decisions, introducing a layer of friction where scientific or policy goals meet legal challenges.
A key pattern emerges in how environmental progress is presented: it is demonstrated not just through direct mitigation (e.g., solar installation) but also through broad developmental metrics (e.g., infrastructure growth, economic activity). The focus on the rapid scaling of renewable energy and clean mobility—evidenced by exponential growth rates in wind and solar capacity—serves to establish a pattern of successful, self-directed innovation within the context of developing economies. This suggests an underlying assumption that rapid technological adoption, even amidst regulatory friction, constitutes a form of legitimate, sustainable progress.
The implication for agency concerns where environmental discourse is utilized as a tool to manage perception and deflect responsibility. When metrics like per capita emissions are used, they risk obscuring the necessary structural analysis of consumption patterns versus absolute environmental impact across different developmental stages. The resistance seen in opposition groups pursuing legal challenges against energy projects suggests that defining the acceptable pace and method of transition remains a contested political space rather than purely an objective scientific consensus.
Bridge Questions: How should international frameworks account for historical responsibility when assessing current development goals? What mechanisms can ensure that environmental metrics prioritize ecological limits over purely developmental expansion? If rapid technological scaling is prioritized, how is the social equity and localized impact factored into national success narratives?