Climate justice has won, no winners or losers: PM Modi on Paris deal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the landmark climate change deal reached in Paris as the victory of “climate justice” and said there are no winners or losers in the outcome.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the landmark climate change deal reached in Paris as the victory of “climate justice” and said there are no winners or losers in the outcome.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses world leaders at the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Le Bourget, outside Paris, Monday, Nov. 30, 2015. On Sunday, December 13, PM Modi hailed the climate change deal adopted in Paris as the victory of ‘climate justice’.(AP)

In a series of tweets, he appreciated how every country rose to the challenge for reaching the agreement at the Conference of Parties (COP)-21 and said deliberations showed collective wisdom of the world leaders to mitigate climate change.

“Outcome of #ParisAgreement has no winners or losers. Climate justice has won & we are all working towards a greener future,” Modi tweeted, commenting on the legally-binding pact which seeks to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius and making developed nations commit USD 100 billion a year from 2020 to help developing countries.

In Paris, Modi had argued that India -- the world’s third biggest carbon-emitting country -- needed to continue burning cheap and plentiful coal to rise out of poverty, arguing that richer nations should make deeper and faster cuts in their own emissions.

He applauded joint global efforts toward the climate pact on Sunday in another tweet.

“#ClimateChange remains a challenge but #ParisAgreement demonstrates how every nation rose to the challenge, working towards a solution,” the Prime Minister said in another tweet.

He added: “Deliberations at #COP21 & #ParisAgreement demonstrates the collective wisdom of world leaders to mitigate climate change.”

The historic agreement signed on Saturday by 195 countries was reached after tough deliberations for days.

Just before the 31-page document was finalised, French President François Hollande, who hosted the conference, called up Modi to apprise him of the latest status at the talks.

“The Prime Minister appreciated this gesture of French President,” a PMO statement said.

Developing nations, including India, had insisted rich countries must shoulder the lion’s share of responsibility for tackling climate change as they emitted most of the greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution.

These issues have sparked tension over the years with the United States and other developed nations in the UN climate forum.

But Saturday’s adoption of the universal climate pact saw enmities fade, with India’s environment minister hailing it as “a new chapter of hope in the lives of seven billion people on the planet”.