Climate experts say the US, which is the world's biggest polluter, has dragged down ambitions of the climate conference, and has not ratified the Kyoto protocol which was based on "polluter pays" principal.
World leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be heading to Paris later this month for COP21, the United Nations' conference on climate change. The challenge for 196 countries is to reach a legally binding agreement to keep global warming below 2 degree Celsius.
On his Facebook page, US President Barack Obama said, "We've got to preserve this beautiful planet of ours for our kids and grandkids. And that means taking serious steps to address climate change once and for all... I'm heading to Paris to meet with world leaders about a global agreement to meet this challenge."
But climate experts say the US, which is the world's biggest polluter, has dragged down ambitions of the climate conference, has not ratified the Kyoto protocol which was based on "polluter pays" principal, and has not done enough at all.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, who will be representing India in Paris, agrees.
"We are raising the issue of lifestyle. Now the new world will have to accept certain amendments and sustainable lifestyle practices. Their (developed world's) consumption pattern is unsustainable and will require five planets," Mr Javadekar told NDTV during the pre-ministerial meeting in Paris.
India and G77 nations have sent a clear signal to developed nations that Paris will fail unless the discussion is firmly centred on climate justice. The pressure will be on industrialised nations to compensate for the past decades of emissions.
Finance will be a primary concern for countries like India.
The cost of climate action, according the NITI Aayog, will be a whopping 2.5 trillion dollars. So far rich countries have been reluctant to keep their promises. Developing countries, however, are now joining forces to mount the pressure. At previous climate summits, rich countries agreed to pay 100 billion dollars to developing countries for adaptation and technology transfer, something that will be discussed at Paris in the agreement.
Mr Javadekar told NDTV, "We are really this time the catalyst of a major alliance of the developing world and we will put all our energies to keep our unity intact."