US can push India on climate

Washington, Dec. 21: Even though the Copenhagen accord is not legally binding, the United States would not only “review” its implementation by India and China, but also would “challenge” them if they do not meet the goals set by the agreement, the White House said.
“Now, China, India have set goals. We are going to be able to review what they are doing. We are going to be able to challenge them if they do not meet those goals,” senior White House adviser David Axelrod told CNN Sunday.
The White House adviser, who is full of appreciation for the last-minute non-binding Copenhagen climate accord, called it a “a great step forward”.

“Nobody says that this is the end of the road. The end of the road would have been the complete collapse of those talks. This is a great step forward,” Mr Axelrod said. “Because this was noted and accepted by the entire conference, the UN now has the ability to move forward on these things and to implement them,” he added.
Meanwhile, environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh said the accord was “a good deal” for India. The Prime Minister’s climate envoy, Mr Shyam Saran, has said India did not have to compromise on any of its fundamental stands on the issue.
Approved after marathon negotiations last week between the US, China India, Brazil and South Africa, the accord says greenhouse gases and other emissions by all nations must be reduced enough to prevent average global temperatures from rising more than 2º Celsius. But the Copenhagen accord did not specify standards for achieving the climate goal.
Giving credit to US President Barack Obama for the Copenhagen accord, Mr Axelrod said: “Now the Chinese, the Indians, and the other major economies are coming along, and this is the result of his strong leadership.”
Mr Axelrod said the US would pursue its domestic goals on this issue.