UN chief encouraged by India`s approach towards climate change

Betwa Sharma

United Nations, Sep 23 (PTI) Lauding India's commitment
towards reducing its per capita carbon emission, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said he was
"optimistic" about achieving a deal on climate change at the
Copenhagen summit in December.

Ban said it was very important for countries like United
States, China and India take ambitious targets to mitigate the
threat of climate change.

"The Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has
announced that while India's per capita emission is much lower
than developed countries they will even look at a per capita
emission plus," he said.

"Therefore I am optimistic that we can achieve a deal in
Copenhagen," Ban said after the conclusion of a high-level
Climate Change Summit at the UN.

The meeting, which was attended by more than 100 world
leaders, was convened to mobilise political will ahead of the
Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen scheduled to be held
in December this year.

India was represented by Foreign Minister S M Krishna and
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh at the Summit.

The Indian negotiators stressed that India's per capita
emissions are only around 1 tonne of CO2 equivalent per annum,
which is a quarter of the global average and half that of the
developing countries as a whole. MORE PTI