Click to play videoWhile Hillary Clinton's visit to India is being considered a huge diplomatic success on the climate change front not much progress was made. As part of Hillary's contingent was President Obama's Special Envoy on climate change, Todd Stern. Stern spoke exclusively to CNN-IBN's Environment Editor Bahar Dutt on the road ahead for India and the US on sticky issue of climate change.
Bahar Dutt: Would you say that talks between India and the US have been inconclusive as far as climate change is concerned?
Todd Stern: Inconclusive in the sense of 'do we have a deal yet?' Of course they are inconclusive, but then you can continue to be inconclusive with the India and China and Europe and everybody else for while because we are not quite at the point of a deal yet, but the talks have been constructive.
Bahar Dutt: What is the US doing to curb its own emissions?
Todd Stern: We have a big, big energy in the climate control bill. Now this bill will reduce emissions by over eight per cent by 2050. It would have substantial reductions by 2020, 2030, 2040 and all the way to 2050. If those reductions would succeed, I think roughly - it is just the back of an envelope but roughly - you would see US' per capita emission go from 20 tonnes person to four tonnes person. But these would still be more than India, which is somewhere between one and two tonnes per person.
Bahar Dutt: Is India doing doublespeak on climate change?
Todd Stern: I have full confidence in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who signed onto that declaration in a meeting that I attended, with President Obama. Most certainly he does not mean to walk away from that. It's a different kind of protocol agreement among 17 leaders of the so-called economist forum.
Bahar Dutt: Will India and the US work together at Copenhagen?
Todd Stern: I think we are coming closer together and I think if we approach this from the point of view of pragmatism, then we can get this done. My line is always that we have to find a way to use science and pragmatism together.
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