Delivering the inaugural address at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in the capital today, the Dr Singh said that the impact of climate change falls differently on people and the poor are the worst hit.

"We need technology innovations for reduction of energy use by industry and other user sectors," he said. He further said, "We need massive action for afforestation, drought proofing, flood protection and the need to protect our coastal areas and glaciers that feed our river systems."

The prime minister also announced that India would unveil a national initiaitive to combat global warming in June. Though he said the initiative would not set emission control targets that could impact economic growth, he stated that India's per-capita carbon emissions would not exceed the average per-capita emissions of the developed countries

He said the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change would explore the possibility of setting up a venture capital fund to promote green technologies, energy efficiency and combating the consequences of climate change on the poor.

Dr Singh compliment Dr R K Pachauri for "the tenacity" with which he has been organizing the annual Delhi Sustainable Development Summit on sustainable development for several years.

"This Delhi Summit has become an important event in the annual calendar for all those who are committed to finding a globally acceptable and socially inclusive solution to the problems of climate change and outlining pathways to sustainable development," the prime minister said.

He highlighted the global concern over climate change saying that as a result of sustained efforts of individuals and individual organisations to bring about a "climate change" on the changing climate, societies all over the world were challenging their governments to do something, to do it now and do it right.

Dr Singh emphasised the need to ensure an acceptable standard of living for all our people following sustainable path for that development. Climate justice must, therefore, inform all efforts at international collaboration in act of human solidarity, he added.

(See: Text of Dr Manmohan Singh's address at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit)