By IANS
New Delhi : Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia Tuesday sharply criticised the UN 2007-08 human development report (HDR), saying “this looks egalitarian but it isn’t”.
In the process, Ahluwalia effectively set out India’s position for the forthcoming climate change summit at Bali, Indonesia. The HDR this year focuses on the human dimension of climate change.
One of its key recommendations is that developed countries reduce their total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – that lead to global warming – by 80 percent by 2050, while developing countries reduce by 20 percent.
“Today, the US emits about 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide (the main GHG) per capita per year. Reduce that by 80 percent and you get three tonnes per capita. India emits about one tonne per capita. Reduce that by 20 percent and you get 0.8 tonnes per capita. That’s not equal,” Ahluwalia pointed out.
He called the concept of total emissions – advocated by developed countries and in the HDR – “fundamentally misconceived, because it does not address the issue of equity”.
The plan panel chief was articulating the position taken by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the G-8 summit in Germany this June, when India offered to limit its per capita GHG emissions to that of developed countries.
German Chancellor Angela Markel has since supported India’s position, though many developed countries do not agree.
They argue that this concept will give China and India licence to add more GHGs to the atmosphere as these countries have large populations.
Ahluwalia responded to this by saying: “freeze the population. You can do it according to the 2001 census. That’s a matter of negotiation. But the principle is the only just one.”
Without saying it in so many words, Ahluwalia – who is a member of the Prime Minister’s task force on climate change – made it clear that the per capita emission principle would be the position India would take at the Bali climate change summit that starts Dec 3.
The task force met here Monday evening.
Ahluwalia’s sharp criticism led Maxine Olson, country head of United Nations Development Programme, to state that the agency did not endorse the HDR, which was written by a specialised research team.
Earlier, providing details from this year’s HDR, Olson had pointed out four major effects of climate change due to global warming on developing countries such as India.
These included reduced agricultural productivity, water scarcity, more floods and cyclones, and overall adverse effects on ecosystems that could lead to extinction of 20-30 percent of all species.
It would also affect human health as malaria, dengue and meningitis spread to new areas.