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India goes to the climate change summit in Copenhagen, beginning on December 7, with a voluntary commitment to cut carbon intensity by 20-25%
In the run-up to the crucial climate change conference in Copenhagen on December 7, 2009, China, the US, and India have announced measures to cut carbon emissions, or emission intensity. On December 3, 2009, India’s environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, announced in Parliament that India would cut carbon emission intensity -- the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of GDP -- by 20-25% on 2005 levels, by 2020. This would be achieved through a series of policy measures, including mandatory fuel efficiency standards for all vehicles. The minister reiterated that India would never agree to any legally binding emissions cut or a ‘peaking’ year for carbon emissions at the talks in Copenhagen. However, he did suggest that the country would be willing to do more depending on the concessions it got for its mitigation action by way of technology and finance from developed nations. “Our basic negotiating point is our low per capita income, but if India wants to lead the developing nations, we have to offer something during negotiations,” he said. Emission intensity in the country went down by 17.6% between 1990 and 2005 even as GDP and population went up. Based on Planning Commission exercises during its mid-term appraisal of the Eleventh Plan, the government concluded that intensity could be reduced even though greenhouse gas emissions would continue to increase. Apart from mandatory fuel efficiency standards on all vehicles by December 2011, the environment minister said that the Energy Conservation Act would be amended to make it necessary for industries to have energy efficiency certificates; an energy efficient building code would be legislated and clean coal technologies would be used in at least half of all coal-fired powerplants. Earlier, the two biggest polluters, China and the US, announced their reduction targets. The United States announced its willingness to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 17% of 2005 levels, by 2020. China announced a target of reducing carbon intensity levels by 40-45% by 2020, compared with 2005 levels. Environmentalists are not too impressed by these pronouncements because these are voluntary cuts and are not legally binding cuts as demanded by the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012. UN Environment Programme Director Achim Steiner says, however, that the world is ready for a deal and that he’s confident the conference will have a good outcome. He is especially encouraged that US President Barack Obama has decided to attend the crucial final days of the summit, an indication of the president’s commitment to climate change. Some 100 world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, are slated to be present during the last days of the summit when crucial agreements are expected to be signed. Meanwhile, demonstrators calling for an effective agreement at the summit have taken to the streets of several European cities. The largest protest was in London, where police estimated 20,000 people joined a ‘Stop Climate Chaos’ march. Around 450 UN officials and campaigners have eschewed flying to Copenhagen and are instead travelling by train to emphasise that the conference will have a small carbon footprint. Source: BBC News, December 6, 2009
The Indian Express, December 4, 2009
DNA, December 4, 2009
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