India vows ambitious green targets

India set out a series of ambitious environmental targets yesterday including reducing its carbon intensity by 35 percent by 2030, but rejected calls to curb coal use, saying developed countries were mostly to blame for climate change.

In an action plan submitted to the UN ahead of a major environmental conference in Paris, India also pledged to generate 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources within 15 years.

"We are confident we will achieve the 35 percent (target) by 2030," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said, adding that "it is a huge jump for India, therefore it is a very ambitious target".