India, China major players in climate change: US envoy

New Delhi, Jun 5 (UNI) India and China would be major players in checking climate change and protecting the environment from the effect of harmful greenhouse gases and nuclear power has a huge potential in this aspect, US Ambassador David Mulford said today.

Talking to reporters at a function at the American Center here on the World Environment Day, Mr Mulford said the US would continue to play a leadership role in reversing the climate change.

Praising India for its extraordinary bio-diversity and educated and committed people, the envoy said India had a pivotal role to play in the endeavour to save the world from a catastrophe.

He was replying to a question on the next month's G8 summit in Japan which India would be attending as part of the G-5 group for the G8-G5 meeting. The other members of the G5 include China, Brazil, Argentina.

Even as the Indo-US nuclear deal is in a limbo, Mr Mulford said there has been a new-found interest in his country for setting up fresh nuclear facilities which was totally absent in the past several decades.

This was due to the quest for clean, efficient and safe energy which was in the interest of every one and the success of the already existing plants. So far, all the applications with regard to nuclear energy in the US has been to upgrade the existing plants, he said.

Though he did not refer to the accident in the nuclear facility in the Three-Mile Island of the US in the 1980s, it is a well-known fact that the US has not set up a fresh nuclear facility since then.

Taking the initiative on the World Environment Day, the American Center screened a film, appealing to people worldwide not to buy wildlife products in order to check poaching of endangered animals which were facing extinction.

UNI AN/SN RP RAI2036