As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, India is a critical part of the equation in solving the climate crisis, but is extremely sensitive to suggestions that it needs to quantify emission reduction targets. The Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, has been keeping to a very hard line. “Treehugger” reports here that India Says Yes to Climate Deal, No to Binding Emissions Cuts. They quote Ramesh: “”We are not defensive, we are not obstructionist. We want an international agreement in Copenhagen.” But, he says, India “…simply is not in a position to take on legally binding emissions reductions targets.”
For a particularly articulate and lucid explanation of the controversy, not surprisingly from the usually articulate and lucid “FT,” see New Delhi snubs plan to reduce emissions. “Although India and China have vocally opposed cuts in public, their comments are belied by the fact that developing countries are not being asked to take on any such reduction targets. Instead, while rich nations are prepared to make cuts in their emissions levels, they expect poor nations only to curb the growth of their emissions.”
Here is a newscast from Indian TV showing how the differences between the US (and the EU) and India play.
However, India is definitely stepping up its efforts for green tech. This Reuters story says that significant energy efficiency standards are soon going to be mandatory. They’re looking to bring a range of electrical appliances, plus transformers and electric motors, into the mix. “The government hopes to save 10,000 megawatts of power by efficient use of energy by 2012.” They also are going to introduce a trading scheme with efficiency at its core, and this will be expanded to include renewables down the road.
Another Reuters piece is headlined India to unveil 20GW solar target under climate plan. “The ‘National Solar Mission,’ yet to be formally adopted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s special panel on climate, envisages the creation of a statutory solar authority that would make it mandatory for states to buy some solar power.” Meanwhile, “The Hindu” reports here that “…the Central Government is all set to unveil a mega solar power capacity addition plan to make India the global leader in solar energy.”
See also this article, via Yahoo, on a climate change conference in India.
India has an ambitious National Action Plan on Climate Change. There is no doubt that they will come to the table at Copenhagen ready to make a contribution. They have a tremendous opportunity, as does China and the other rapidly industrializing economies, to remake the way they produce and use energy and avoid so many of the horrible “externalities” into which the West is still locked in so many ways.