Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh stated that India cannot sustain high economic growth and a rapid increase in carbon emissions, especially since the country is now the third largest emitter after China and the United States. Ramesh's remarks were made during the ongoing negotiations among representatives from nearly 200 governments in Tianjin, China, to determine the next steps after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Despite India's low per-capita emissions, the demand for energy is growing due to the middle-class purchasing more cars, televisions, and better housing, primarily fueled by coal, oil, and gas, which are major contributors to global warming. Ramesh emphasized that India's pursuit of wealth should not harm the environment. Government officials noted that he was the first minister to acknowledge that India has surpassed Russia in greenhouse gas emissions. Ramesh stated that India will transition to a low-carbon growth trajectory voluntarily. He expressed that high GDP growth cannot be achieved at the expense of high carbon emissions. Ramesh mentioned during a conference in Nepal that India aims for 8-9 percent growth while keeping carbon emissions low. Less wealthy countries are now the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions, and many major developing nations have made efforts to reduce their emissions growth. However, they are reluctant to commit to absolute cuts, fearing negative impacts on their economies. India, which weathered the global financial crisis well, is aiming for nearly 10 percent economic growth in the near future, currently growing at around 8.5 percent. Despite being the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, India has been hesitant to adopt a low-carbon economy due to perceived economic risks. In January, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requested a panel to start planning for a more environmentally friendly economy. The report is set to be released by the end of the year. While India has introduced a new climate plan focusing on renewable energy like solar power, coal still plays a major role in the country's energy supply, especially since nearly half of the 1.1 billion population lacks access to electricity. Minister Ramesh emphasized the importance of India's contribution to reducing emissions despite the significant gap between the top two emitters and the rest. The UN climate talks have faced challenges due to distrust between wealthy and developing nations regarding climate funds, the call for more transparency on emission reduction promises, and dissatisfaction with the level of cuts offered by wealthy nations. The United Nations has decided to no longer push countries to make stronger commitments to reduce carbon emissions out of concern that it could cause the talks to come to a standstill, potentially jeopardizing the progress of negotiations for a more ambitious climate agreement.