The minister spoke about India's position in the wake of the upcoming COP28, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Singh said it is the developed countries who need to cut down their emissions first. "Around 85 per cent of the carbon dioxide load in the atmosphere is due to the path of industrialisation followed by developed countries. India's population is 17 per cent of the world population, while our contribution to carbon dioxide load is only 3.5 per cent."