India has been under tremendous pressure to reduce carbon emissions after voluntary initiatives by China and the US. With the developing countries having their own agenda, India has taken tough stand against setting emission targets.

 

R K Pauchauri, Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, has urged the Prime Minister to attend the Copenhagen summit. According to Pauchauri, India is a growing economy and is in no position to take the legal binding emission cuts.

 
India has been under tremendous pressure to reduce carbon emissions after voluntary initiatives by China and the US. With the developing countries having their own agenda, India has taken tough stand against setting emission targets.

 
Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment and Forests (Independent charge) has clearly talked about the non-negotiable stand that India is going to take globally. India on Thursday announced 20-25 per cent carbon emission intensity cuts on the 2005 levels by 2020. Ramesh added that “Our basic negotiating point is our low per capita income but if India wants to lead the developing nations, we have to offer something during negotiations.”

 
The world’s expectation from India with regards to global warming is unrealistic. It is important to note that UN framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) imposes a legal obligation on developed countries to undertake emissions reduction. However, developing countries should follow a path of sustainable growth. In the case of developing countries the incremental cost for any mitigation action should be fully compensated by transfer of both financial and technological resources.