The UN climate talks on Saturday remained deadlocked as negotiations among 194 nations spilled over to an extra day amidst wrangling over crucial issues. India, along with the US and China, is under pressure to accept a legally binding treaty proposed by the EU, which will be signed by 2015 and come into force by 2020.
Ministers from key countries, including the Union Minister of State for Environment, Ms Jayanthi Natarajan, were huddled in a small room at the conference centre.
Asserting that equity has to be centrepiece of climate talks, India slammed developed nations for not doing enough to combat global warming as it made an “emotional” appeal for space for basic development for its 1.2 billion people and poverty eradication.
In the midst of growing criticism, Ms Natarajan told delegates that India — which is being seen as a “deal-breaker” for not agreeing to a legally binding treaty — was not holding up the talks.