India U.S. - Climate Change Issues

Why in news?

U.S. President accused that the U.S. pays billions of dollars while China, Russia, and India have contributed nothing to the pollution.

What are India’s contributions?

• India has walked with the U.S. from Stockholm to Paris via Rio de Janeiro, Kyoto and Copenhagen.
• New Delhi has fought for climate justice, equity and fairness all the way, demanding that developing countries should be entitled to maintain and increase their greenhouse gas emissions for survival and developed countries should mandatorily cut their luxury emissions.
• India has also been sensitive to the constraints of the U.S. and the other industrialised nations in reducing emissions.
• The fine balance struck by India and the U.S. culminated in the Agenda 21, raising hopes for a renaissance in the areas of both environment and development.
• U.S. and other developed countries began to default on their commitments and began demanding mandatory cuts from China, India and Brazil during the Berlin negotiations (1995).
• India did not dismiss their demands immediately.
• It accommodated various mechanisms to reduce the burden of the developed world.

What are the advantages to US by signing Paris Deal?

• The essence of the Paris Accord is only a “strong agreement” to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2° Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• The advantage that the U.S. and other developed countries have gained from the Paris Accord is that all economies, including China and India, are being made to take action on climate change.
• The financial commitment that the U.S. has undertaken is only to change to new energy sources.
• The cost of the switch will be more for the U.S. than for China or India and this cannot be considered as a payout.
• But if the U.S. abandons its investments in climate change, India and China will benefit from the low-carbon leadership they acquire over time.
• By maintaining the momentum in global efforts, the U.S. will benefit through its own transition to clean energy.
• Walking together on climate change will be beneficial to both India and US.

Source: The Hindu