“WE NEED TO FIX THE MISTAKES WE HAVE MADE. EVERY NATION MUST RAISE ITS AMBITION TO DEAL WITH THE CLIMATE CRISIS”
Q. You met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several key cabinet ministers and discussed your mission to get all nations to cut their carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. How important is India’s role in this?
A. India’s role is crucial. First of all, India is a leading democracy together with the United States; a huge nation, but also known for its humanistic values, for its connection to earth and to responsibility. India can contribute very significantly because as a nation it is the third-largest emitter—we’re the second largest, China the first. So, we have a special responsibility. Between the three of us, we have over 50 per cent of the world’s emissions. So even though India’s [emissions] are smaller, by half, than ours, we all have to do this because no one nation can solve the problem. Every nation has to be part of the solution. We’re dependent on one another.
More importantly, India is a nation of innovation, entrepreneurial activity, research and development and so forth. We believe in a partnership between the United States and India
