Rich countries keep polluting, blame India

The rich countries blame India and other developing nations for the world's rising emission levels. Here is proof that the boot is on the other foot. Fresh data released by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change says greenhouse gas emissions from the rich nations increased by 12.8% between 1990-2007, the latest period for which figures are available.

While the industrialized countries are now gunning for India and China to take on stronger commitments and obligations under the new deal to be possibly thrashed out by the Copenhagen round of UN negotiations in December, the data from UNFCCC showed that most of the reductions had come from the "economies in transition" -- mostly eastern European and Balkan countries whose economies have crashed.

Carbon dioxide emissions from the US increased by 20.2% between 1990-2007. US has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol as it refused to enter a regime which would have obliged it to reduce its emissions by a fixed percentage below 1990 levels. The US, even after Barack Obama took over the presidency, has not shifted from its Bush-era stance and has refused to sign on to the protocol.

Even as it played the blame game, its own targets for the period closing 2020 would not even reach the 1990 levels. Developing countries, in contrast, have stated that the science demands US and other developed countries take emission reduction cuts of at least 40% below 1990 levels to keep temperatures under control.

Carbon dioxide emissions, embarrassingly for Denmark, increased by 1% between 1990 and 2007. With the carbon space in the atmosphere already swallowed, even small percentage increases are seen as a serious threat and with Denmark being the host country for the final round of negotiations this year, the statistics will not help convince emerging economies that rich nations are doing enough.

Turkey's emissions grew at 118% while that of Spain by 60% and Japan's at 14%. While these are high-growth or developed economies, India has argued that they have had more than their fair share of the carbon dioxide budget.

"The continuing growth of emissions from industrialized countries remains worrying, despite the expectation of a momentary dip brought about by the global recession," Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of UNFCCC, said in a press statement.

Emissions are explicitly linked to the levels of economic activity of a country as higher production levels require greater fossil fuel based energy. While some countries like UK have been able to achieve some gains, these have come out of one-time events such as switching much of its energy source from coal to gas. Experts warn that these do not reflect a declining long-term trend or the rich nations having drawn long-term trajectories towards emission decline.

Putting the countries on low-carbon pathways can have substantial impact on economic activity and most of the rich nations have shown reluctance to take any actions that may hamper lifestyles as it remains politically unfeasible for them.

Link TOI

Climate biggest issue in US's ties with India, China: Obama

President Barack Obama warned time is running out to fight global warming but said the US was determined to act and that climate was the biggest issue in its ties with countries like India and China often blamed for the stalled talks. Addressing a gathering of 100 world leaders at the UN climate change summit, Obama also pressed rapidly growing developing nations to "do their part as well", a veiled reference to emerging economies like India and China. He said no country alone can meet the challenges on climate change.

Obama however offered no new proposals that could serve as a catalyst to push the stalled talks on a UN climate pact. "We have put climate at the top of our diplomatic agenda when it comes to our relationships with countries as varied as China and Brazil, India and Mexico from the corner of Africa to the corner of Europe," he said.

His comments came shortly after the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said talks were moving too slowly and admonished the countries ahead of the Copenhagen summit of 190 countries in December aimed at sealing a deal to slow climate change. "Failure to reach broad agreement in Copenhagen would be morally inexcusable, economically short-sighted and politically unwise," Ban said.

Continuing, Obama said, "We understand the gravity of the climate threat. We are determined to act and we will meet our responsibility to future generations." He also warned there would be tough talking ahead of the Copenhagen climate change conference. "There should be no illusions that the hardest part of our journey is in front of us."

"But those rapidly growing developing nations that will produce nearly all the growth in global carbon emissions in the decades ahead must do their part as well," Obama said.