New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) While developed countries had to take the major burden for mitigating climate change conditions, India and China also cannot “shy away” from their responsibilities, Minister of State for Communications and Technology Sachin Pilot said here Saturday.
Pilot was speaking at a panel discussion on youth and sustainable development at the TERI University here.

“I agree that people and governments who have had a long history of splurging consumption should go a long way in footing the bill. But India and China cannot shy away from our role as the poorest are the most vulnerable to climate change,” he said.

The minister noted that there had to be a “holistic approach” to meeting the challenge of climate change.

At the same time, he noted that the people who were living closest to nature, the tribal population in the country, did not need to learn lessons on sustainable development. “We don’t need preaching. But, if there is technology which can help us, like clean coal technology, we are open to it,” he said.

Also speaking at the forum, Chancellor, TERI University and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change R.K. Pachauri said that a “country like India has to set an example”.

“But, I also agree that we have to ensure that the responsibility of what happened is not diluted,” said Pachauri.

Referring to his appointment as Yale University’s newly-established Yale Climate and Energy Institute’s head, Pachauri said one of the main reasons for taking up his post was his hope of being able to influence American policy on climate change.

“You need to be influence society, go after US congress, which due to vested interests, are seriously distorting efforts,” he said.