India says to tackle poverty before global warming

India said on Tuesday that rich nations must lead a fight against global warming, telling a 189-nation U.N. conference that developing countries should instead give priority to ending poverty.

India said that it could not be expected to limit use of fossil fuels, widely blamed for stoking climate change, when 35 percent of its population lived on less than a dollar a day and many lacked electricity, clean water and other basics.