After months of staunch resistance to mandatory emission reduction targets the Indian government has hinted that it is willing to consider a national legislation on voluntary emission reduction targets.
India’s environment minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh acknowledged for the first time that his country needs to take up bold responsibilities in order to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change. The proposed legislation could include emission reduction targets for the year 2030 for the most polluting and carbon intensive industrial sectors.
India has been against mandatory emission reduction targets putting forward two main arguments – one, its per capita emissions are among the lowest in the world and two, taking bold measures to reduce its carbon emissions would adversely impact its endeavor to eradicate poverty. The proposed bill would address both these issues and could serve as a path breaking legislation striking a balance between the economic and social costs and the mitigation measures.
India no doubt has one of the lowest per capita emission levels in the world but its industrial emissions are high which have made it the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Indian industries lack far behind those of the developed countries in terms of energy efficiency. The most polluting industries must do more in order to reduce their carbon footprint. India’s primary source of energy is coal with about 75 percent of the electricity generation coming from coal power plants. The quality of coal reserves in India are poor to average and coal would remain central to the energy policy of India.
Therefore, India must look to initiate the transition from fossil fuel based energy systems to those based on renewable energy. Indian government must realize that the path to energy security and, ultimately, energy independence starts with its industries switching to renewable energy. The domestic emission reduction law must include some kind of financing mechanism like the cap and trade or carbon tax mechanism which could help freezing and eventually reducing the carbon emissions.
The minister also hinted at the structure of the proposed bill. The bill would include voluntary emission reduction targets for the five most polluting industries in India. The bill would apparently include monitoring and mitigations measures and social and economic aspects will be taken into serious consideration while taking steps to achieve them. The bill will be analogous to FRBM Act (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) which requires a Parliamentary approval which puts a limit on the fiscal expenditure. The bill would put limits on the funds allocated for mitigations measures while keeping in mind the economic constraints of the government.
Both developed and developing countries must agree to contribute in their own respective capacities to reduce their carbon emissions. While the developed countries have a historical responsibility with their high per capita carbon emissions the developing countries need to control and reduce their industrial emissions and given the social and economic constraints faced by developing and poor countries it is imperative that the developed countries help them access clean energy technologies.
A proactive approach aimed at sustainable development and controlling carbon emissions has become extremely important given the differences between the developed and developing countries over emission reduction targets and technology transfer. A proactive approach would give confidence to the developed countries and other private investment firms to invest in clean energy projects.
Indications given by India and China to introduce domestic emission reduction laws are very healthy signs for the Copenhagen climate talks as many developed countries have made it clear that their emission reduction pledges will be based on the steps taken by developing countries. Such measures would increase the chances of successful climate treaty negotiations at Copenhagen.
Image: Wikipedia
The views presented in the above article are author’s personal views and do not represent those of TERI/TERI University where the author is currently pursuing a Master’s degree.
About Mridul Chadha
Thanks Mridul for this post. I agree with the person quoted in the news – Much needs to be seen on the details of the actual plan and its status before Copenhagen for this step by India to make an impact. Starting this debate now is quite a healthy step but not sure if it will have an impact as such on Copenhagen (in December).