India rejects binding commitments, COP 15
Release Date: 2009-04-14
India will not put urgently needed economic growth at risk by committing itself to C02 reductions.
India will not commit itself to reductions of greenhouse gases, no matter how hard the developed countries might try to talk large economies like India and China into commitments as part of a new global climate deal.
That message was clear at the UN climate talks in Bonn ending last Wednesday.
"If the question is whether India will take on binding emission reduction commitments, the answer is no. It is morally wrong for us to agree to reduce when 40 percent of Indians do not have access to electricity," said a member of the Indian delegation according to The Washington Post.
"Of course, everybody wants to go solar, but costs are very, very high," the member of the Indian delegation added.
Coal is the source of more than 60 percent of India's power. Though India is climbing the list of global polluters, analysts expect coal to remain an important fuel for the Indian population of 1.1 billion people for the next 20 years.
At the climate negotiations India wants industrialized countries to commit to significant emission reduction targets and at the same time support sustainable development in developing countries with technology and funding. India will not compromise on economic growth by committing to reduction goals.
India is in line with agreements made earlier by the UN conference of parties. According to previous decisions the developed countries alone must commit themselves to reductions. Developing countries can take voluntary actions enabled by technology transfer, capacity building and financial transfers from developed countries.
Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, finds it, according to The Washington Post, "very unlikely" that India will change its official position.
| Type: | NORMAL |
| Company: | COP 15 |
| Country: | Denmark |
| Url: | http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=1076 |