In the run up to the Rio+20 Earth Summit, India today said the principle of "equity" for cutting greenhouse gas emissions should be the "bottom line" of negotiations on climate change.

"I would like to reiterate one thing. Across cutting themes, the people of India believe that the bottom line whether the global commons, whether the climate change, whether this Rio + 20...at the bottomline it should be equity," environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan said.

Natarajan's statement came a day after prime minister Manmohan Singh backed the position adopted by her at the Durban Climate conference where she had successfully brought the principle of equity for sharing the burden of cutting greenhouse gas emissions back to the table as one of the country's key non-negotiable principle.

Inaugurating the 12th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit conference yesterday, the prime minister had said that global cooperation on climate change "must be based on the foundation of the right to development and the need for an equitable distribution of burden."

Addressing a special session on biodiversity at the same venue of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), Natarajan said "it is my firm conviction that a successful response to the changing needs of the world can come only through sustainable development that is equitable and people- centeric."

"All of us should remember that climate and environment are not dependent on us, in fact we are dependent on them. We need to contribute as responsible citizens and contribute to the environment and the global commons," she said.

The minister said immediate action is required to address the cause of biodiversity as there are 300 million people in the country who are dependent on biodiversity for their livelihoods.