World pinning hope on India's leadership to resolve climate crisis: Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland

The world is pinning hope on India’s leadership and intellectual powerhouse for providing a solution to the climate crisis, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has said.

The world is pinning hope on India's leadership and intellectual powerhouse for providing a solution to the climate crisis, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has said.

In an interview with PTI at the annual climate conference (COP28) in Dubai, Ms. Scotland said she waits in "joyful anticipation to see what India will decide to do", as negotiators at the summit haggle over the best ways to slash greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worsening of already severe climate impacts.

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Asked about her expectations from India amid a growing push for a fossil fuel phase out, she said India has to "feed and care for 1.4 billion people", almost half of the population of the 56-nation club called Commonwealth.

"What I am hoping for is that India will have the courage to own her position and to lead, and she can. The genius that is coming out of India, along with the other Commonwealth countries, could enable us to solve this problem," Ms. Scotland said.

"India absolutely represents hope... The Commonwealth is grateful to it for coming up with some of the most amazing solutions," she said and hoped the country would continue to maintain her position of leadership.

Ms. Scotland emphasised that the world needs a "just transition", which means transitioning from fossil fuels to renewables in a fair and equitable way. "We all accept that this cannot happen with a snap of our fingers. We have got to plan it fairly," she said.