‘Who’s responsible for this mess in the first place?’ Piyush Goyal ozone layer video goes viral from Berlin discussion

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday criticised the European Union’s contribution to carbon emissions, arguing that India, which accounts for 17% of the world’s population, has contributed less than three per cent to global carbon emissions.

Addressing the Berlin Global Dialogue, Goyal said, “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.”

Goyal went on to say, “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.”

The minister added that India, which represents 17% of the global population, is more conscious of waste and the circular economy. He said that despite having to meet the needs of its 1.4 billion people, including their energy and food needs, and ensure national security, India still has one of the world’s fastest-growing clean energy programmes.

Goyal sheds light on COP21 commitments

The Commerce Minister went on to say that India is supporting global efforts to address climate change. He recalled the 2015 COP summit in Paris, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi gathered support from the Global South to collectively address climate change through the Paris Agreement adopted at COP21. He added that, during COP21, it was agreed that developed countries, which had enjoyed the fruits of emitting carbon and “messing up the climate”, would pay a greater price and support developing and underdeveloped countries by pledging $100 billion a year. However, he said that 11 years later, developed countries had not even released a “nickel or dime” of the promised amount.

Goyal also criticised the European Union’s carbon tax on steel, warning that the bloc was “inviting disaster” with the measure.

EU ‘inviting disaster’ with carbon tax on steel: Goyal

In a separate discussion, Goyal criticised the European Union’s carbon tax on steel, warning that the bloc was “inviting disaster” through measures that could drive up living costs and weaken its industries’ ability to compete.

Speaking at the Berlin Global Dialogue, he said the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), alongside other regulatory requirements, could make steel and other industrial materials more expensive, hurting businesses and consumers across Europe.

“You put a CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) on yourself. You put a 50 per cent import duty to bring steel into your country. You’re inviting disaster. Your cost of living will go up,” Goyal said.