The Hindu Business Line : Making environment a development issue

Chennai: “…India is ready to accept the obligation that our per capita emissions of CO{-2} will never exceed the per capita emissions of advanced developed countries. This should incentivise developed countries to achieve quick reductions in their per capita emissions, to limit the growth of emissions from developing countries. Their success will generate technologies which will help the entire human kind and the developing countries to limit their own emissions as well.”

That was the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, explaining India’s position on the climate change issue.

And, as the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Mr Jairam Ramesh, told Business Line, India is more concerned about climate change than anybody else and does not need any lesson on this from anybody. For India, climate change is not just an environment issue, but a development issue as well.

As pointed out in “The Road to Copenhagen: India’s position on climate change issues” (which can be accessed at http://pmindia.nic.in), India expects the climate change talks at the Danish capital in December to result in an outcome that is fair and equitable. “It must be in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.”

India expects the Copenhagen summit to provide it with the space that it requires to accelerate its social and economic development and a global regime that supports it attempts at ecologically sustainable development.

India has announced a national action plan on climate change which incorporates its vision of sustainable development. It believes that investing in addressing climate change, especially in renewable energy, can create new industries, new jobs and spur technological innovation. “Action on climate change must become part of the solution to the financial and economic crisis, in its causality,” says the note explaining India’s position on climate change. — N. R.

More Stories on : Environment

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page