India stated on Monday that its current energy policy is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 25 percent by 2020. However, India also expressed concerns that mandatory targets to address global warming could negatively impact economic growth. Despite being one of the top polluters in the world, India is not obligated under the Kyoto Protocol to decrease emissions, which are currently increasing by 2-3 percent annually. Prodipto Ghosh, the environment secretary, emphasized that India is actively implementing programs to improve energy efficiency and promote renewable energy, which are yielding positive results. Ghosh stated that their modeling approaches indicate that the combination of these policies will lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020. India and China, two countries with strong economies, are expected to face increased pressure at the upcoming Group of Eight summit in Germany to reduce emissions. India is currently spending 2.17 percent of its GDP annually on addressing climate change through various projects. The Indian subcontinent is projected to be significantly impacted by natural disasters, diseases like malaria, and food insecurity. Many experts argue that industrialized nations bear the responsibility for global warming and should set higher emission reduction targets for themselves instead of placing the burden on developing countries. According to a recent U.S. study, the wealthiest nations, including the United States, were responsible for 60 percent of total emissions in 2004 and have accounted for 77 percent of emissions since the Industrial Revolution. Ghosh stated that developing countries such as India have not, are not, and will not be major contributors to emissions. He warned that any mandated emission reduction measures could have negative effects on GDP growth and poverty alleviation efforts. Ghosh called on Western countries to provide more support to help developing nations adapt to climate change. He emphasized that the impacts of climate change will disproportionately affect the poor, putting their lives and livelihoods in jeopardy.