Climate change won't stop progress: India's PM

The world's poor nations will not sacrifice their development in negotiations for a new climate change deal, says Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The issue of how to share the burden of fighting global warming has divided the developing and industrialized worlds as they prepare to negotiate a replacement to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol at a December summit in Copenhagen.

"Developing countries cannot and will not compromise on development," Singh told an international conference on technology and climate change in New Delhi on Thursday.

However, even poorer countries need to "do our bit to keep our emissions footprint within levels that are sustainable and equitable," he said.

Developing countries argue that the industrial world produced most of the heat-trapping greenhouse gases and should bear the costs of fixing the problem.

Wealthy nations say all countries — including growing polluters India and China — have to agree to broad cuts in emissions.

India and China agreed Wednesday to stand together on climate change issues at the Copenhagen meeting. The two nations agreed to work on slowing the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, but resisted making those limits binding and subject to international monitoring.

Developing countries want financial aid for their climate change efforts, and Singh said wealthy nations have an obligation to ensure they get access to new, clean technology that will cut emissions and increase energy efficiency.