India, EU stress need for global pact on climate change

NEW DELHI: India and the European Union stressed the need for a global agreement on climate change at the UN conference in Paris next year.

During their meeting, environment minister Prakash Javadekar and European Union climate action commissioner Connie Hedegaard discussed various steps taken by both sides to tackle global warming.

"We had a very good discussion with the visiting delegation," Javadekar said after the meeting.

The minister said he told the visiting EU delegation that India is going ahead with its domestic action plan "which is more pro-active and more green" to tackle climate change.

"We discussed various measures we have taken," he said, Javadekar said India will make stringent norms to deal with pollution from the cement industry.

He said India is looking forward to this month's New York dialogue on climate change, UN climate conference in Lima and continuous dialogue in Paris next year "to have a real corrective roadmap for green environment".

Hedegaard said she had "extremely good and constructive exchange of views" with Javadekar.

"I get feeling that the minister is a man who wants to do business," she said.

"...I think that we can really do work together and we have also agreed that we will work even closer together at experts level and also ministerial level to ensure that we have a good dialogue," Hedegaard said.

"We do not necessarily agree on everything but have a better understanding ... and we have a very joint wish that in Paris next year the world must come to action when it comes to climate change," she added.