Union Minister Piyush Goyal challenged Europe's climate stance at the Berlin Global Dialogue, arguing that developed nations caused the climate crisis and have failed to deliver the financial support they promised to poorer countries.
"Who's responsible for this mess in the first place? Where did this ozone layer get damaged? Who sent all that carbon up there?" Goyal asked during a panel discussion.
#WATCH | Berlin, Germany | Union Minister Piyush Goyal says, "Who's responsible for this mess in the first place? Where did the ozone layer get damaged? Who sent all that carbon into the atmosphere?... I represent 17% of the world's population, but my contribution to global carbon emissions is less than 3%. You (Europe) represent probably 3% or 4% of the world's population, yet your contribution to those carbon emissions—or this mess—is humongous...The problem was caused by you...Even today, as we sit here, my per capita contribution to carbon emissions is probably less than 10% or 15% of yours. Even today, Europe's per capita contribution to carbon emissions—and its per capita environmental impact—is probably seven or eight times that of India...I'm representing 17% of the world's population, and I am more conscious of waste and the circular economy. I also have to meet the needs of 1.4 billion people. I have to meet their energy needs, their food needs, and ensure that my nation remains secure. Despite all of that, we have one of the world's fastest-growing clean energy programmes..." (Source: Piyush Goyal Social Media Page)
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2026
A fellow panellist said "all of us". Goyal replied: "No, I'm sorry."
He said India supports 17% of the world's population but contributes less than 3% of carbon emissions. Europe, by contrast, accounts for perhaps 3% or 4% of the world's population.
"The problem was caused by you for good reasons," he said, adding that developed economies had burned coal to keep energy costs low as they grew.
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Another panellist said the "you" also covered the US, calling it a fairness argument. Goyal said he was speaking about Europe.
On per capita emissions, Goyal said India's contribution was "probably less than 10 or 15%" of Europe's even now. He put Europe's per capita impact at seven or eight times that of an Indian.
"I am more conscious of waste, more conscious of circular economy," he said, adding that he must meet the energy and food needs of 1.4 billion people while keeping the nation secure.
Despite these pressures, India has "one of the fastest growing clean energy programmes" and is greening its steel, he said.
Goyal turned to the 2015 Paris Agreement, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi had rallied the Global South behind it at COP21. He said the deal rested on "common but differentiated responsibility", with developed countries expected to pay a greater price and support developing and island nations.
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The promised support was $100 billion a year, he said. "11 years later, we haven't seen a nickel or dime of that. It's all promises."
He then attacked the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which puts a carbon levy on imports. "Does CBAM recognize the common but differentiated responsibility?" he asked, saying the EU had failed to respond to less developed countries' needs in decarbonising.
Goyal added that he did not mind Europe's regulations. "The more regulations you put unto yourself, faster will it become difficult to sustain these kind of costs," he said.
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