NEW DELHI — President Obama pressed India on Tuesday to do more to curb the pollution that is choking its capital and contributing to global climate change, as he wrapped up a visit that yielded no meaningful breakthrough on the issue.
While India and the United States agreed to cooperate in promoting cleaner energy, Mr. Obama left after three days without the sort of specific commitment to curbing greenhouse gases that he won in China last year. Instead, he used a farewell speech before his departure to argue that India had an obligation to step up, despite its economic challenges.
“I know the argument made by some — that it’s unfair for countries like the United States to ask developing nations and emerging economies like India to reduce your dependence on the same fossil fuels that helped power our growth for more than a century,” Mr. Obama told an audience of 1,500 mostly young Indians at Siri Fort Auditorium on the final day of his trip here.
“But here’s the truth,” he added. “Even if countries like the United States curb our emissions, if countries that are growing rapidly like India with soaring energy needs don’t also embrace cleaner fuels, then we don’t stand a chance against climate change.”
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On a morning when New Delhi was bathed in smog, the president’s remarks on climate change touched on one of the central priorities of his meetings with Mr. Modi. Although Mr. Obama and his team had recognized that they would not get the same sort of deal they got in China in November, they were mainly left to announce a series of smaller initiatives.
They took solace from a rhetorical commitment by Mr. Modi to support a United Nations process to develop a global climate agreement in Paris by the end of the year. But the test will be whether India eventually makes specific commitments to reduce the growth of its carbon emissions by a specific date. The president used his speech to push the Indians in that direction.
“With rising seas, melting Himalayan glaciers, more unpredictable monsoons, cyclones getting stronger, few countries will be more affected by a warmer planet than India,” Mr. Obama said. “The United States recognizes our part in creating this problem, so we’re leading the global effort to combat it. And today, I can say that America’s carbon pollution is near its lowest level in almost two decades.”
“We’ll continue to help India deal with the impacts of climate change because you shouldn’t have to bear that burden alone,” he added. “And as we keep working for a strong global agreement on climate change, it’s young people like you who have to speak up so we protect this planet for your generation.”
