India must not lag behind in climate change initiatives: PM

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 3 (PTI) The Copenhagen meet made
"limited progress" and no one was satisfied with the outcome,
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday, while
observing that taking the path of low greenhouse gas emissions
was the only alternative and India "must not lag behind" on
this.
Inaugurating the 97th Indian Science Congress in this
south Indian city, Singh acknowledged that results of last
month's climate summit, that saw sharp differences over issues
of emission cuts and accountability, had left no one
satisfied.
However, he said, India should aspire to be among the
world leaders in climate-friendly technologies.
"We were able to make only limited progress at the
Copenhagen Summit and no one was satisfied with the outcome.
"And yet there is no escaping the truth that the nations
of the world have to move to a low greenhouse gas emissions
and energy efficient development path," he said.
Singh, who was among over 100 world leaders who attended
the finale of the 12-day summit in the Danish capital, said
nations are chalking out strategies to achieve greater energy
efficiency and a shift to renewable energy sources, as well as
for adapting to climate change "which is inevitable".
India, he said, "must not lag behind in these areas".
"Indeed we should plan to be among the leaders in the
development of science and technology related to mitigation
and also adaptation to climate change. The market for such
technologies is not just India. It is the whole world," he
said.
The much-anticipated Copenhagen climate change summit
ended in a disappointment last month, with world nations
failing to agree on clear terms on the way to combat global
warming, and coming out with a mere face saver statement.
Major differences persisted over the limit to which rise
is temperature is to be contained and on the insistence of
developed countries that developing nations must open up their
domestic mitigation targets for scrutiny.
The Indian Prime Minister said even as India grapples
with the challenges of food security and disease control,
climate change and its effects are posing fresh challenges to
the country.
Climate change, he said, "is a problem that is
challenging the knowledge and wisdom of humankind".
He said India now faces "new challenges of climate change
and the management of our scarce water resources," and pressed
for marking a greater share in the energy sector to clean
supplies like nuclear and solar energy.
"As far as energy is concerned, renewable and clean
energy supplies will need to play a much bigger role that what
they do currently. Nuclear and solar energy supplies will need
to increase considerably," Singh told the gathering.
On the nuclear energy front, he expressed confidence that
the "landmark" waiver on fuel restrictions by the Nuclear
Suppliers Group last year, will help India "plan for an
accelerated nuclear power development programme". PTI WAJ
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