India should not expect assistance to cut carbon emissions: Shyam Saran

New Delhi, Nov 30(ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's Special Envoy on Climate Change, Shyam Saran, on Monday said that India being a major developing country should not expect any technology or any financial assistance from the developed countries to cut carbon emissions.

Addressing a conference on power sector technologies for carbon mitigation in the national capital, Saran said that although developing countries need to be assisted with technology and financial resources, but India being a major developing country should not expect such assistance from the developed countries.

"As far as future is concerned, the bargain which was reached in Rio in 1992 was that developing countries should follow a path of sustainable development, but they will have to be assisted with technology and financial resources. Now, I can tell you this very clearly that as far as the major developing countries are concerned, neither are you going to get any technology nor are you going to get any financial resources," Saran said.

Earlier, during the Commonwealth Summit in Port of Spain, India had refused to accept binding emission cuts that it says could slow its economic growth, and instead favoured equal share of burden on global emission reduction.

Saran also said that money would be available to small developing states, but the larger countries like India will have to take care of themselves.

"Money will go to small developing states as it was announced in the Commonwealth Summit, but large countries like India are expected to mainly take care of themselves," he said.

Developing countries such as India and China are among the most threatened by climate change, but their huge populations mean they will still be heavily reliant on burning fossil fuels to try to lift millions out of poverty.

India, one of the world's top greenhouse-gas emitters, has yet to offer figures on reining in its carbon output, with just over a week to go until the United Nations climate talks start in Copenhagen.

The climate treaty, expected to be adopted, as a final text next year, will replace the Kyoto Protocol expiring in 2012. (ANI)