India rejects US demand on emission control
Dec. 10: India has rejected United States advice that it put its voluntary offer to reduce carbon intensity on the table with commitments before the global community.
The secretary of the ministry of finance, Mr Vijai Sharma, said that there was “no possibility” India would put its voluntary commitments before the international community.
“We are a democracy and our commitments before parliament are binding, but there can be no question of offering this to the international community or internationalising it.”
Mr Sharma said that India would be informing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) under the national communication or Natcom project about the targets which it had voluntary undertaken in the national action plan and its commitment before Parliament on reduction of carbon intensity of 20 to 25 per cent by 2020 from the 2005 level.
However, that would not extend to offering this as point of negotiation.
On Wednesday, the US special envoy on climate change, Mr Todd Stern, had said that the offers made by China, India on climate change action, including cut in carbon intensity targets had been noted, but for them to be effective they must be offered as binding targets and must be open to verification by the international community.
Mr Sharma said India would also not lend itself to verification of its targets, and that the country was transparent enough in its dealing with the world to know that it’s monitoring process domestically would be reliable enough.
On carbon intensity targets, he said the details were still being worked out and would take a while to be finalised.
Asked to give his reaction on what Mr Stern said, Mr Sharma said the views had been noted, but it’s not that India would accept everything that it was being asked to do.
On the question of setting up a new mechanism under Copenhagen instead of extending the Kyoto Protocol which was legally binding on states, Mr Sharma said India was in favour of extending the protocol after it expires in 2012.
On Wednesday, Stern had said the US would not accept the protocol or something similar, but a whole new structure needed to be put in place so that it could be legally binding on all parties.
The executive secretary of the UNFCCC, Mr Yvo de Boer, said that it would be very challenging to set up a new legally binding mechanism under the convention, since Kyoto Protocol itself took eight years to be ratified.
The developing countries do not want to go through that lengthy process again and risk further delay.
Latest Comments
When hackers gained access to the documents of the climate research centre of UK-based East Anglia University and leaked confidential data, including thousands of emails and documents between UK and US scientists over the past 10 years have led to accusations that scientists exaggerated the crisis.
Aftermath of the ‘Climate gate’ scandal a major threat has emerged out from United States, when the Sarah Palin the 2008 Republican nominee for vice president and governor of Alaska from 2006 to 2009 reinforced criticisms against the summit with the support of these fresh rumours. His contention is that these e-mails revealed leading climate experts’ deliberately destroying records, manipulated data to "hide the decline" in global temperatures, and tried to silence their critics by preventing them from publishing in peer-reviewed journals. The Rupublicians now slam President Barack Osama’s proposal very serious cut of long-term carbon emissions. Meeting such targets would require Congress to pass its cap-and-tax plans, which will result in job losses and unbearable energy costs!
I suspect that that Republican leaders wants to outsmart for political ends and attempt to dilute the nerve of American initiative under Obama’s leadership in global affairs. This Anti-Obama factor plays a role behind the screen at Copenhagen.They call the mail -scandal as ‘Scientific Fascism’ and urges President Obama to backpedal arguing that there is no consensus favouring for it. In fact the Republicans are fascists expecting Americans to wear iron clad and keep isolated from the rest of the world! Too much of disgrace on their out-look of Internationalism.
Whether U.S is now insisting on emerging economies to 'wrap up' their national emission reduction commitments into a global pact, because of the on-going opposition by Republican move against the Copengahen? It should not be the only reason, may be one of the reasons.
It is evident that even in U.S, Opposition is becoming more just to oppose without going into the merits of the issue to be opposed. Probably Republicans now-a days learn rhymes and jingles from Indian democracy?
More from International
Post your comment