India resists pressure to go beyond Kyoto Protocol

Betwa Sharma
Copenhagen, Dec 13 (PTI) India has opposed any amendment
to the Kyoto protocol at the Copenhagen Climate meet as the EU
pushed for an agreement that is "broader" than the 1997 treaty
and puts more obligations on developing countries for cutting
emissions.
The tiny Pacific island of Tuvalu has raised the proposal
of adding another protocol to the Kyoto Protocol. Developing
nations mainly India, China, South Africa and Brazil are,
however, sticking to a one protocol approach.
"Our focus is on heightened implementation of the
convention," Vijay Sharma, India's Environment Secretary told
the gathered negotiators. "The spotlight is on existing
commitments."
Tuvalu is a small island where people live two meters
above sea level, and it could be swamped by rising sea levels.
Tuvalu's representative Ian Fry requested the minister of
the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, Connie Hedegaard to
immediately form a contact group to consider the proposal for
a new protocol that calls for vigorous action, such as binding
cuts and puts less than 1.5 degree limit in warming, by
developed countries and emerging economies.
President Connie Hedegaard had to suspend the work of the
COP following a deadlock on the issue with some nations like
Australia and EU supporting it.
Developing nations (India and China) and oil producing
states including Saudi Arabia have opposed it on the ground
that there should not be any detraction from Kyoto Protocol,
the treaty that imposes legally binding sanctions on
industrialised nations, excluding the US.
India and other nations suspect that Europe's support for
a new protocol is also an attempt to weaken the Kyoto
Protocol. "Several provisions in the draft are inconsistent
and obviously in conflict with the convention provisions
pertinent to historical responsibility and equity," Sharma
said.
"There are articles bracketing the Annex 1 and non-Annex
countries and allows Annex 1 to abandon Kyoto, which is not
the right message to give at this point of time," he added.
The Kyoto Protocol sets binding targets for 37
industrialised countries, called Annex 1 countries, for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions to an average of five per
cent against 1990 levels between 2008-2012.
However, Tuvalu and Alliance of Small Island States
(AOSIS) have said here that the Copenhagen summit needs to
produce a document much stronger than the Kyoto Protocol that
neither puts obligations on US nor on emerging economies.
Sweden's environment minister Andreas Carlgren told
reporters, "If we were to end up with an agreement where the
only legally binding part would be the Kyoto Protocol then we
would not manage to achieve what is needed."
Fry has repeatedly stated that his country do not want to
"kill" the Kyoto Protocol but to make it tougher on both
developed and developing nations.
A major portion of this conference is to extend the Kyoto
Protocol into its second commitment period starting from 2013
where developed countries have to make cuts will be listed in
Annex B, which is a top priority for India and China at this
climate meet. PTI BS
SKT