Watch: Narendra Modi's candid interview with David Letterman on spirituality, childhood (and the US)
The Prime Minister spoke to the former talk show host in a documentary on climate change.
One of the pressing issues of our time is how humanity is going to tackle climate change and prevent further destruction to the environment. For a series on National Geographic titled Years of Living Dangerously, former talkshow host David Letterman came to India to explore what he called one of the largest renewable energy projects in the world.
Before he could interview Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Letterman visited a coal power plant, a solar power plant in Uttar Pradesh, rode the Delhi metro and had his beard trimmed in a local barber shop.
After travelling through the country, his last stop was “to meet the leader of the largest democracy in India. Thank god I brought a suit.” Here’s their short interview (video above):
The relationship of India with the United States of America, what is your view on that?
Today, in the world, no nation can remain isolated, the whole world is interdependent but climate is all of our collective responsibility,Tell me more about yourself, where did you grow up, what kind of a kid were you?
I grew up in poverty, but I was interested in spiritual activities, I loved nature and came to politics very late,What is interesting to me is a combination of politics and a spiritual motivation.
Mahatma Gandhi always said that we are the trustees, and as trustees our job is to maintain all things – nature, environment. We are not the owners, what will we give our future generation? Today, whatever I am using, I am borrowing from future generations.People have told me, anywhere between 300 and 400 million Indians do not have electricity, and the population is over a billion now, and in a few years will be a billion and a half, does it bother you spiritually that the coal will be used to help electrify the entire country, will they have to get their electricity from coal until the entire solar project is complete?
— Years of Living Dangerously
They need electricity, they should get it. Their aspirations should be fulfilled, And it is our responsibility too but not at the cost of nature. If the world helps me with technology, helps me with resources, I will be the first person to switch over to clean energy completely. As long as I can’t do that, I have to think of other ways.
But this answer did not satisfy Letterman, who concluded, “Prime Minister Modi is overseeing one of the greatest renewable energy plants ever devised. Yet, when it comes to getting investment capital to build it, he is coming up short. When the Prime Minister talks of other ways to provide energy, he is talking about burning twice as much coal by 2030 and that frankly scares the hell out of me.”