The United States has said civil nuclear cooperation with India was 'a key piece of the equation' on tackling climate change, insisting that the world cannot afford to wait for developing countries to come on board over the issue of reducing green house emissions.

Speaking ahead of the Bali summit in Indonesia, James Connaughton, the chairman of the Council on Enviornmental Quality asserted, "While the developed world had a historic responsibility, within the coming decades, most of the growth in greenhouse gases is going to come from the big developing countries, and it will exceed those of the developed countries".

He said that to truly effect the long-term temperature trend, "We can't afford for the major developing countries to wait. So we need strategies; nuclear energy has to be part of the solution".

"The work with India, for the future of India's energy security, the future of India's air pollution, air quality, and the future of India's contribution to adjusting climate change, nuclear has got to be a key piece of the equation," he said.

Connaughton noted that China too had a critical role to play. "China's emissions probably already exceed those of the United States. If not, there's no question that by 2020, they will vastly exceed the US. Countries like India, Brazil [Images], Mexico, South Africa need to be part of the equation too," he said.

"The Bali meet has to address diverse characteristics of all of the countries assembled, and particularly the major economies, the major emitters, the major energy users," Connaughton added.