New Delhi, New York:
India, which has been accused of being uncooperative on addressing the climate change issue, says it will be a deal maker and not deal breaker. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said India wants to be part of the solution, but will it be easy to break the deadlock?
Global leaders seem to have got the message, but are still divided on how to cut carbon emissions, the biggest cause of climate change.
"We want to be a dealmaker not the deal breaker," said Jairam.
Jairam Ramesh has already indicated how far India may go - better fuel efficiency, a lot more solar power and even perhaps a self-imposed limit on emissions.
America wants India and China to cut emissions and wants these to be binding. But India and the developing say that's not on because the US has been the biggest polluter and hasn't done its share yet.
With only five per cent of the world's population, it is responsible for a quarter of global carbon emissions. The international community wants the US to cut its carbon emissions by 25 to 40 per cent by 2020.
"You cannot forget the moral aspect of this equation. There's a lot of pragmatic politics that's going to go into this week and a very, very hard negotiation, and let's face it, economics. But morally, the developed countries have largely caused the problem and the people hit hardest by it are those in developing countries," said Hugh Jackman, actor and climate campaigner.
Tuesday's UN conference on climate has a hundred Presidents, Prime Ministers and others, attending. It shows they are serious. But the battlelines are old.
The deadline is getting tighter. By December's Copenhagen summit, which will replace the Kyoto protocol, these leaders have to put their words into action. And agree on cutting emissions sooner rather than later.
"Without the US there is no agreement. The US has to come up with a substantial cut on its emissions by 2020," said Jairam.
"What the developing countries are saying the fundamental prerequisite for a fair and requisite agreement at Copenhagen is that the developed countries take on in proportion to their historical responsibility emission cuts by 2020, not by 2050 by which any way we are all dead and not going to be around to be held accountable," he said.
So here's what one should watch out for - how much emissions will America agree to cut? China's new 'Green' plans to break international deadlock and India, just how will it be deal-maker?
Yet, despite all the talk, the negotiations on the UN sidelines at G20 at Copenhagen will be hardnosed. But hopefully not "stupid".
Global leaders seem to have got the message, but are still divided on how to cut carbon emissions, the biggest cause of climate change.
"We want to be a dealmaker not the deal breaker," said Jairam.
Jairam Ramesh has already indicated how far India may go - better fuel efficiency, a lot more solar power and even perhaps a self-imposed limit on emissions.
America wants India and China to cut emissions and wants these to be binding. But India and the developing say that's not on because the US has been the biggest polluter and hasn't done its share yet.
With only five per cent of the world's population, it is responsible for a quarter of global carbon emissions. The international community wants the US to cut its carbon emissions by 25 to 40 per cent by 2020.
"You cannot forget the moral aspect of this equation. There's a lot of pragmatic politics that's going to go into this week and a very, very hard negotiation, and let's face it, economics. But morally, the developed countries have largely caused the problem and the people hit hardest by it are those in developing countries," said Hugh Jackman, actor and climate campaigner.
Tuesday's UN conference on climate has a hundred Presidents, Prime Ministers and others, attending. It shows they are serious. But the battlelines are old.
The deadline is getting tighter. By December's Copenhagen summit, which will replace the Kyoto protocol, these leaders have to put their words into action. And agree on cutting emissions sooner rather than later.
"Without the US there is no agreement. The US has to come up with a substantial cut on its emissions by 2020," said Jairam.
"What the developing countries are saying the fundamental prerequisite for a fair and requisite agreement at Copenhagen is that the developed countries take on in proportion to their historical responsibility emission cuts by 2020, not by 2050 by which any way we are all dead and not going to be around to be held accountable," he said.
So here's what one should watch out for - how much emissions will America agree to cut? China's new 'Green' plans to break international deadlock and India, just how will it be deal-maker?
Yet, despite all the talk, the negotiations on the UN sidelines at G20 at Copenhagen will be hardnosed. But hopefully not "stupid".
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