Newspapers reported on Wednesday that India has criticized a United Nations report for suggesting that developing countries should reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The latest Human Development Report, released by the UN Development Programme on Tuesday, emphasized the urgent need for collective action to prevent severe climate change, particularly impacting the poor. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of India's Planning Commission, stated that while the recommendations may appear fair, they are not, as they call for developing nations to make commitments for the first time. Ahluwalia challenged the research team to provide further evidence to support their findings. Ahluwalia spoke as a guest at the Indian launch of the report, which precedes a UN climate summit in Bali, Indonesia, where nations will discuss commitments to reduce carbon emissions. The UN report emphasizes the importance of quantitative commitments from developing countries for credibility. India and other developing nations argue that binding cuts are unjust as they could impede poverty alleviation efforts. They believe that developed countries, which became wealthy through extensive use of fossil fuels during industrialization, should take responsibility for making cuts. Even though India makes up a significant portion of the global population, their carbon emissions are relatively low compared to other countries. This is due in part to the slow development of the country, with millions of Indians still lacking access to electricity and using traditional fuels like cow dung and wood. However, many believe that India can continue to develop while also reducing emissions by investing in more efficient and renewable energy sources instead of relying heavily on coal. Indian scientist Rajendra Pachauri, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and member of India's Council on Climate Change, has warned against following the carbon-heavy development path of wealthier nations.