Climate change: India not satisfied with 'progress' achieved

New Delhi, Apr 10 (PTI) With the developed nations
"failing" to commit on emission reduction targets, India has
termed the "progress" achieved in tackling climate change as
"disappointing" in the perspective of the developing nations.

Also there is no clarity on how much monetary and
technical assistance would be assured to developing nations
for mitigation and adaptation measures, Shyam Saran, Special
Envoy of India's Prime Minister on Climate Change, has said.

"We have only a few months left in which we must come
up with concrete and significant decisions to be adopted by
the 15th COP at Copenhagen. The progress achieved so far has
been disappointing from our perspective," he said recently
during an interaction with media at Bonn.

"We still have no clear indication about the emission
reduction targets which our developed country parties are
ready to commit to," Saran said, according to a statement
here.

He also doubted the developed nations' "commitment" to
help the developing countries to "enable them to meet the
additional burden imposed by adaptation and also to meet the
full incremental costs of nationally appropriate mitigation
actions."

Instead of waiting for external support in pursuing
its sustainable development objectives, India is taking steps
on its own, he said, adding, "however, there is no doubt that
a supportive and equitable climate change regime would enable
us to significantly scale up our own efforts."

Pointing that global warming would have serious impact
on countries like India, Saran called for the need for a
collaborative response and not aimed merely at reconciling
competitive interests and positions at the Copenhagen to be
held late this year, the statement added.

Elaborating on initiatives being taken by India in
this direction, the climate change expert said, "we are
participating actively and constructively in the ongoing
multilateral negotiations."

He said that India has suggested a number of
cooperative initiatives and seeks to promote consensus on some
of the key issues still outstanding in the negotiations.

"We are encouraged that our proposal to set up a
network of Climate Innovation Centres to accelerate the
development, dissemination and transfer of key climate
relevant technologies, has received broad support from both
developed and developing nations," he added.

Saran also dwelled in detail on the National Action
Plan on Climate Change unveiled last year under which eight
national missions covering both mitigation and adaptation
steps, the statement said. PTI AJ
PMR
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