Click to play videoNew Delhi: India's stand at the Copenhagen Climate Summit was tabled in Parliament on Thursday.
Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh made it clear that India will follow its own path while at the same time submitting to domestic voluntary cuts in intensity targets of 25 per cent by 2020.
"India's per capita emissions will always remain low with that of developed nations. India will not submit to legally binding emissions," said Ramesh in Parliament clearly outlining what India's stand will be at Denmark.
He stated that India will not submit to legally binding emission cuts, the country has four non-negotiable which it will not compromise on and will make domestic legal energy intensity cuts of 25 per cent.
While the Minister's statement may have won him many admirers in Parliament, there are others who believe he has given in to pressure from the United States of America.
"What we have to understand is not what the Minister said but what the Minister did not say – that India could well be doing this to help the Americans because the Americans want to shift the goal post, they want to move from legally binding cuts to voluntary targets. That is bad for the climate," said Director of Centre for Science and Environment Sunita Narain.
But Nitin Desai, a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change, refuted the allegation
"It’s just possibly a product of global pressure. It could be. So what? We are part of a global neighbourhood and like any good neighbour we have certain obligations to act as a good neighbour. What I liked about Jairam’s statement was his strong emphasis on the importance of action on climate for the people of India. In a sense, what has happened over the past few weeks is that notice has been served on the industrial countries that – we are ready but you better come up with something much more serious," said Desai.
Environmentalists are in fact arguing that India's position is one of posturing and the biggest loser in this will be our planet.
"What we should be asking in Copenhagen is a framework which will allow us to make the transition, pay for our solar transition, pay for the big ticket solutions that we will need but by shifting the balance by saying we are also a part of the same club of polluters – you do not have the same framework which gets you that money and technology," said Sunita.
Good or bad, one thing is for certain. Ramesh's statement in Parliament has definitely turned the heat on the issue of climate change.
(With inputs from Bahar Dutt)
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