core sector communique

Domestic target ok, but will it be used by rich nations to change the terms of the global climate agreement, asks CSE

New Delhi, December 4, 2009: India should definitely work to make its economy less carbon-intensive. The carbon intensity target will help the country stay on course. The announcement for fuel economy standards for vehicles is also important and welcome. It will help build the framework for the low carbon transition in the country: these are the views expressed here today by climate researchers of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in response to the Indian environment minister’s statement in Parliament yesterday.

 

In fact, what is clear from the targets is that India is on a low carbon intensity pathway already – the carbon intensity of its economy during the period 1990-2005 has reduced by 17 per cent – roughly 1 per cent annually and now will further reduce by 1.2-1.5 per cent annually till 2020. This is important and critical for India’s domestic purposes and all efforts have to be made to improve the carbon intensity further. In this respect, the domestic target will be important and must be supported.

 

The question, however, as the country moves towards negotiations in Copenhagen is how the Indian government’s domestic and voluntary target will be used by the rich nations to change the very terms and foundation of the global climate agreement.

 

CSE researchers point out that in Copenhagen, Annex 1 countries (industrialized countries, which have to take legally binding emission targets under the Kyoto Protocol) would like to change this. In the suggested framework, rich countries will take voluntary commitments, based on domestic action. The US proposal (as laid out in the Australian paper) is to build the new agreement based on each country’s domestic pledge – this would mean that the current framework, based on globally agreed legally binding targets, would be dismantled, says Sunita Narain, director, CSE. “This will be disastrous for the world’s climate change efforts to cut emissions. It will be disastrous for us, as global emissions will rise and put millions of Indians at risk”. 

 

The key issue the Indian government will have to ensure at Copenhagen is to make sure that the developing country position to accept international review and verification only for the actions, which have received funds or technology transfer must not be compromised. This stance has been non-negotiable for developing countries. Any shift in this position will have major implications. “The fact is that if international review or verification is accepted, then a country’s domestic and voluntary target becomes an international commitment,” explains Narain. “This would then mean the target announced by the Indian government’s minister in the Parliament will be a backhand way to get international commitments from India.” 

 

The key issue at Copenhagen, says CSE, is how the US will be pressured to meet drastic emission reduction targets, which will keep the world on course to meet the 2° target. The current target proposed by President Obama is too little, too late – some 3 per cent below 1990 levels, when the world needs it to cut at least 40 per cent below its 1990 levels by 2020. “We strongly believe the world needs an effective agreement in Copenhagen – one which will spell out the big cuts by developed world and put money and technology on the table to developing countries so that we can make the transition” This has to be our non-negotiable for Copenhagen, said Narain.