New Delhi: India on Monday strongly hit out at developed nations for putting “conditions” and “adding dimensions” such as carbon tariff and trade competitiveness for action on climate change.

“Action on climate change cannot be based on conditions. Once we start going in that directions than it means we start going for protectionism under green label and it is harmful to India’s interest seeking sustainable development,” said Shyam Saran, India’s special envoy on climate change.

He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Business response to climate change’ organised by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development.

“So in that context we see issues coming up, sometimes in the form of carbon tariff or greater tariff change or opening up of market which the developed countries want to impose on us on the pretext of tackling climate change,” Saran added.

Sharing the concern of corporates that imposition of carbon tariff would go against the interest of business and industry in India, he said, “This is what we have been resisting. Collaborations become irrelevant when competitive tendencies prevail.”

“In international negotiations we have taken the position that climate change is a challenge which must be dealt on its own and through supportive global regime,” he said while indicating India’s stand to be taken at Copenhagen at the end of the year when countries will meet to discuss a global policy on climate change.