India has unveiled a major new national strategy for tackling
climate change centred on an increase in solar capacity and
improved energy efficiency - but lacking any clear targets
for curbing emission growth.
Speaking at the launch of the new National Action Plan,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated the Indian government's
view that efforts to mitigate climate change would not come
at the expense of the country's economic growth. "Our
vision is to make India's economic development energy efficient"
- he said. "Our people have a right to economic and social
development and to discard the ignominy of widespread poverty."
He also signalled India's support for the Contraction and
Conversion model for curbing emissions, which argues that
emissions from developing countries should fall to a point
where per capita emissions have converged with those
in developing economies.
Singh insisted that under the new plan, India would effectively
conform with this model by ensuring that its per capita
greenhouse gas emissions would not exceed the per capita
greenhouse gas emissions of the developed industrialised countries.
"This should be testimony enough, if one was needed,
of the sincerity of purpose and sense of responsibility we
bring to the global task on hand" - he added.
As well as a commitment to increased investment in solar
power and improved energy efficiency, the action plan also
commits India to launching new sustainable habitats, improving
water resource management, safeguarding Himalayan glacier
and mountain eco-systems and enhancing support for other eco-systems,
adapting agricultural practices to make them more resilient
to climate change and establishing a new body for researching
new agricultural techniques.
The launch of the document comes as reports emerged claiming
that the G8 group of industrialised nations is preparing to
invest more than $10bn to support the development and deployment
of clean technologies - primarily in emerging economies such
as India and China.
According to Japanese paper Nikkei, a draft statement
on the issue is being considered for publication at the upcoming
meeting of G8 leaders in Hokkaido, northern Japan. The newspaper
added that the draft statement also includes an agreement
to set national interim goals for carbon emissions for the
period between 2020 and 2030.
The news suggests that Japan, the US and UK have secured
wider support for their plans for an international climate
change fund designed to help developing nations cut emissions,
while also adapting to the effects of climate change.
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