Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend an international climate summit in Copenhagen, a spokesman said, ending days of speculation about the level of representation at the conference.
Singh will address the UN summit during his two-day visit beginning on Dec. 17, the prime minister’s spokesman Muthu Kumar said on Saturday.
Earlier this week, India pledged to significantly slow the growth of its heat-trapping carbon emissions over the next decade, closely following pledges made by the US and China to cut back their emission levels.
Singh visited Washington last week, where US President Barack Obama strongly urged him to attend the Copenhagen summit.
Indian media had speculated for days about who would lead the Indian delegation at Copenhagen. Earlier, India had announced that it would be represented by Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
On Thursday, New Delhi announced plans to reduce the ratio of pollution to production by 20 percent to 25 percent compared with 2005 levels, although it would not accept a legally binding emissions reduction target.
India ranks fifth in world carbon dioxide emissions, accounting for 4.7 percent of the world’s total. The US and China emit roughly 40 percent of the world’s emissions, with Russia and Indonesia completing the top five emitting countries.
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