By IANS
New Delhi : A leading Indian voluntary group, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Wednesday urged richer nations to drastically cut their carbon emissions, reform the clean development mechanism and assign emission caps based on per capita entitlements.
As thousands of delegates from all over the world take part in the UN Climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia, CSE urged India to take a strong, proactive and a leadership role in climate change by asking for stringent emission cuts from developed nations.
India recently stated that it was willing to cap its emission levels once they reach that of the developed countries, which have to the major share for the blame for carbon emissions.
CSE director, Sunita Narain told reporters here that rich nations should reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. The rest of us, including India, can participate in a framework which will not make cuts legally binding, but adopt a strategy to avoid future emissions.”
She added that broadly her position was reflected by the official stand of the Indian government.
Narain lambasted the developed nations for trying to push India and China to take the blame for climate change, when they have not done anything for cutting consumption. Despite agreeing to a small cut of five percent in emissions in 1997, Developed countries have increased their carbon emissions by an average of 11 percent between 1990 and 2005.
She said the issue was also of equity between nations. “If we accepted 80 percent cut for rich nations and 20 percent cut for poor from 1990 levels by 2050, it means that while US reduces to four tonnes of carbon emissions per person, India will have to reduce to 0.6 tonnes,” she said.
CSE suggested that effective emission cuts are possible by creating entitlements base on their population.
Narain pointed out that the India’s poor give her the breathing space due to their lack of access to energy and focus on renewable like biomass. “Assigned on an equal per capita basis, India’s entitlements, thus, would mean that the country’s rich pay its poor for excess energy use,” she added.
Further, Narain asked for a complete overhaul of the present clean development mechanism, as it is presently designed to get the cheapest emission reduction options for the industrialized world.