Prime Minister has said India is committed to meeting its domestic mitigation goal of reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 20 to 25 per cent by the year 2020. Addressing the inaugural session of Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in the National Capital on Thursday, Dr Manmohan Singh said New Delhi has already taken several major steps on the path of low carbon growth. Now is the time for the richer industrializes countries to show that they too are willing to move decisively along this path, Dr Singh said.

The Prime Minister said climate change has become the face of many challenges in the pursuit of sustainable development. Stating that the problem can only be tackled through coordinated global action, Dr Singh said it is crucial to look at sustainabale development from a global rather than a purely national perspective.

Dr Singh called for paying adequate attention to the economic value of eco-system services in the developmental strategies and policies to address the needs of the vulnerable and poor and marginalized communities.

He said the concepts like Green National Accounting are useful tools that could help ensure that goods and services are produced with minimal ecological and social impact. Expressing concern over the depletion of groundwater, the Prime Minister said the focus should be on water conservation and water efficiency.

On protection of environment, Dr Singh said the country needed regulatory regimes that are transparent, accountable and subject to oversight and monitoring. He said regulatory regimes are often the basic necessary condition to ensure that environmental and economic objectives are pursued in tandem.

Dr Singh said there is now a growing realization that there may be no easy alternatives to the environmental resources.

The Prime Minister said India looks forward to working closely with the global community to address the real challenges like growing populations, changing consumption patterns and the pressure on precious natural resources.

He said the present global inequities built into the global economic order are patently unsustainable.