The ‘developing versus developed country’ schism was at the centre of the debates. In trying to dilute this binary, wealthy nations like the U.S., and those of the EU argued that emissions from developing countries are consistently rising and they need to commit to more serious emission cuts. But India accused them of watering down the CDR principle envisaged in earlier agreements. The EU strongly favoured a review process to ensure accountability for the pledges made but China immediately blocked it, on grounds of national sovereignty. India stuck to its conventional position that the developed countries should shoulder a bigger burden as they are responsible for the problem in the first place, while poverty alleviation would continue to be India’s primary concern. India may have demonstrated concern about climate change issues and rightly asserted the need to balance environment with socio-economic concerns. Yet, before it is too late, the nation has to acknowledge that its emissions are rising dangerously. Instead of always passing the burden onto others, it has to take responsibility for its actions. India has to make a pragmatically determined national pledge in Paris next year, backed by stronger domestic policies and a shift to clean, renewable energy.