Saran uses N-stick to tackle rich polluters
-
04/04/2008
-
Indian Express (New Delhi)
Former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran knows more than a thing or two about tough negotiations. Considered a key player in hammering out the Indo-US nuclear deal, he knows there's a long road ahead in his new assignment as the Government's point man on climate change. It's most natural, therefore, that as he draws out a "national action plan,' he draws parallels between the rich, polluter nations and the nuclear club governed by the international politics of NPT. Just as countries that acquired nuclear capability before a certain period in history say they have the right to continue as members of the club while newer ones need to be condemned, those who polluted seem to be suggesting that now no country should be allowed to pollute while they continue on their high-energy consumption path. So his first job: set the record right, tell the nations putting pressure on India to take on emission cuts that the country is already clean. "Nationally, we are already doing a lot. While our economy has grown by 8-9 per cent, our energy intensity has only grown by 4 per cent,' he says. In other words, energy used per dollar worth of growth is continuously falling, thanks to clean-up efforts in major sectors like cement and steel. Not just that, he says. As high as 70 per cent of India's waste is recycled and India is among the leaders in wind energy. But it will need more than a PR exercise, he admits. Saran is working on a plan that will send a powerful signal to the world that India is not averse to national action. "The national plan that is in the process of being formulated will look at wider incentives for energy efficiency and will promote renewable energy,' he says. He points out to a little publicised but very significant statement Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made at the G8 meeting in Germany last year. He said that India's per capita emissions "will never exceed those of developed countries.' This has wide implications, says Saran. As the Prime Minister said: "It means India will never go on the path of wasteful development that the developed countries took in the past, but a sustainable one.' Saran says he is also looking at engaging with China in the climate negotiations since it subscribes to the "same multilateral principles as India.' India, he says, is open to joint projects and research on low-carbon technology with China. As a first step, taking a leaf out of China, the Government is setting up a permanent group of negotiators to assist Saran in steering the talks through to the next phase of climate change regime: the Bali Action Plan which will conclude in December 2009. The climate debate is poised at a critical juncture. The Bali talks last December ended with giving the world two years to reach an agreement on a post-Kyoto framework. The Kyoto treaty required rich countries to cut emissions below 1990 levels by 2012. Ahead of hectic parleys before December 2009, there has been growing international pressure on India to take up commitments to cut its Green House Gas emissions. Last week saw a host of leaders visiting India to lobby for its commitment on emission cuts. The list included former UK prime minister Tony Blair, US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former US vice-president Al Gore. UNDP Under-Secretary General Kemal Dervis also met the Prime Minister. All of them had one refrain: India has to agree to some participation in emission cuts.