Ellis said, "India has been doing a lot on climate change. PM Modi is very ambitious on climate targets."

He also spoke about the Indo-UK ties and said that there is a cooperation between the two countries, and they want a 'secure and open' Indo-Pacific.

Alexander Ellis, currently the British High Commissioner to India, in an interview with News18 praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his ambitious climate change targets.

Ellis said, “India has been doing a lot on climate change. PM Modi is very ambitious on climate targets. India will chart its own development course and he will set the Indian path on sustainable development." Ellis further added that hopefully, the PM will set such targets that will not only have positive consequences on India but also on the world.

At the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26), aimed at limiting average global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, urgent and heightened climate action was decided upon, especially after the IPCC report said in no uncertain times that climate action failure will lead to severe consequences. Ellis said that “We have to go hard because there is limited time and high ambition and strong political will is necessary."

He also spoke about the Indo-UK ties and said that there is a cooperation between the two countries, and they want a ‘secure and open’ Indo-Pacific. “UK and India are working closely on Indo-Pacific. There is regular contact between the two countries, and the foreign minister was here too. The military exercise is on as well. Both India and UK want a secure and open Indo-Pacific," added Ellis.

Saying that India is a top priority for trade deals as far as the UK is concerned, Ellis said that he hopes the trade doubles between India and UK, by the end of this decade. The sector specifically being focused on at the moment is service goods. Ellis further claimed that the trade ministers of both countries will speak soon.