India has expressed disapproval of a United Nations report that suggests developing countries should reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The report, released by the UN Development Programme, emphasizes the urgent need for global action to prevent severe climate change, particularly affecting the impoverished. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of India's Planning Commission, criticized the report for placing unfair burdens on developing nations, challenging the research team to provide further evidence to support their recommendations. Ahluwalia, speaking as a guest at the Indian launch of the report, emphasized the importance of future commitments to reduce carbon emissions before the upcoming UN climate summit in Bali, Indonesia. The UN report highlights the necessity of quantitative commitments from developing countries for credibility. However, India, along with other developing countries, believes that binding cuts are unfair and could impede poverty alleviation efforts. They argue that rich nations, having become wealthy through extensive fossil fuel use during industrialization, should bear the responsibility for making cuts. Even though India makes up a significant portion of the global population, they are only responsible for a small fraction of total carbon emissions, as per UN statistics. The slow progress of development in India plays a role in this, with approximately 500 million individuals, primarily in rural areas, lacking access to electricity and resorting to burning cow dung, wood, and kerosene for energy. Despite this, many believe that India can advance economically while also reducing emissions by investing in more efficient and sustainable energy sources rather than relying heavily on coal. Indian scientist Rajendra Pachauri, a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize as head of the UN climate panel, is among those advocating for this approach. He warns against India replicating the carbon-intensive development patterns of wealthier nations, describing it as potentially catastrophic.