India 'won't sign binding emissions pact': minister
India said Tuesday it would reject any global pact legally binding it to cut greenhouse gas emissions as such a move could stifle economic growth needed to eradicate poverty.
India said Tuesday it would reject any global pact legally binding it to cut greenhouse gas emissions as such a move could stifle economic growth needed to eradicate poverty.
Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan's statement came after a UN conference in Durban earlier this month agreed for the first time to seek to negotiate a legally enforceable agreement to control all nations' emissions.
"There is no question of signing a legally binding agreement at this point of our development. We need to make sure that our development does not suffer," Natarajan told the upper house of parliament.
"Our emissions are bound to grow as we have to ensure our social and economic development and fulfil the imperative of poverty eradication," the minister added.
Some 42 percent of Indians, or 455 million people, live on less than $1.25 a day, according to the World Bank.
The marathon UN climate conference in Durban approved a roadmap towards an accord that for the first time would bring all major greenhouse-gas emitters blamed for climate change under a single legal roof.
If approved as scheduled in 2015, the pact will be operational from 2020 and become the prime weapon in the fight against climate change.
But emerging Asian giants India and China, which have become huge emitters of carbon over the last half-dozen years, have long resisted calls to reduce emissions.
The fast-growing economies said the burden of cuts should be on developed countries and that they cannot commit to binding targets which might hurt their ability to improve living standards.
India and China do not fall under existing 1997 Kyoto Protocol constraints aimed at fighting global warming as they are developing countries.
(c) 2011 AFP
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Dec 27, 2011
Rank: 2.3 / 5 (3)
Dec 27, 2011
Rank: 3.1 / 5 (9)
Oh that development will suffer once the storms, draughts and floods hit home. But then it's the people that pay (with lives and taxes)- not the corporations that benefit from the unhindered development.
Dec 27, 2011
Rank: 3.3 / 5 (15)
Hamstringing the 'developed' countries won't help the developing countries develop faster.
Dec 27, 2011
Rank: 2.7 / 5 (7)
Dec 27, 2011
Rank: 2.9 / 5 (15)
Each person cares about his own self interest. Why is this wrong?
Such self interest has created the most free, prosperous and healthy societies that have ever existed in the world.
If I care about my health and the health and wealth of my family, those I am directly responsible for, and if everyone else does the same in an environment where no one can gang up and use violence on anyone else, (like govt does), we must all work together in our self-interests, to improve the health and wealth of ourselves and our families. This is bottom up synthesis.
Top down analysis and central planning fails because someone like 'brain..' thinks he knows what's best and wants to gang up and force people to live his way.
Dec 27, 2011
Rank: 2.7 / 5 (12)
Oh wait. . .Obama likes to invest taxpayer money in "green" companies with doubtful future didididididividends. . .(sorry, stuttering without my teleprompter) :)
Oh, and he invests in failing banks and corporations like GE, GM, pharmaceutical companies, failing immigration laws and the DNC. and will resurrect "cap and trade". Did I leave anything out? Oh yes, Obama should invest in pajamagram.com to pay for hoodiefooties for all the half frozen people who can no longer afford their electric bills when the coal companies are forbidden to dig out the coal for home heating. Corporations are all evil. Down with these blood suckers.
Dec 27, 2011
Rank: 2.9 / 5 (13)
Dec 27, 2011
Rank: 2.6 / 5 (10)
Dec 27, 2011
Rank: 4.7 / 5 (31)
Cutting across the grain of economies will never work. Technology is the only way to reduce dependance on oil/coal and this will take time, and will need to develop in accordance with existing markets. Welcome to reality.
Dec 27, 2011
Rank: 1.4 / 5 (11)
A new book for children has a genuine message of Hope to counter false AGW fears this Holiday Season:
"Love Your Monsters: Post-environmentalism and the Anthropocene" by M. Shellenberger and T. Nordhaus, The Breakthrough Institute (2011)
Here's Professor Curry's comments and a link to Amazon where you can preview the book:
http://judithcurr...onsters/
Other genuine messages of Hope are recorded in every atom, leaf and rock:
http://dl.dropbox...Fear.pdf
Today genuine messages of Hope are evaporating false messages of Climate(gate) Fears!
Today all is well,
Oliver K. Manuel
www.omatumr.com
Dec 28, 2011
Rank: 2.7 / 5 (3)
Its still a better alternative. Economic development outweights stable weather in utility, even more so for undeveloped countries.
Dec 28, 2011
Rank: 2.5 / 5 (8)
Humans have never escaped a changing climate. They adapted and it is easier to adapt,and prosper, with technology.
Dec 31, 2011
Rank: 1.8 / 5 (5)
Besides, all indications are it is better warm than cold.
"The Polar Bears will be fine." - Freeman Dyson
Jan 01, 2012
Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
Australia has legislated to destroy its economy and save the world with a tax on carbon emissions.
The polar bears might be fine but the less fortunate in Australia are just going to have to use much less electricity or gas. The wealthy of course can afford to pay more for power.