ScienceIt's hard to balance industrialization and climate change, say India and China

It’s hard to balance industrialization and climate change, say India and China

India and China have revealed that both countries’ governments are committed towards working on climate change, according to a joint statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. This news comes on the back of an alarming report about the global atmospheric carbon dioxide level crossing a record-breaking 400 parts per million (ppm) in March 2015.

After China and then the US, India is the world’s third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide which is the main greenhouse gas. At the Climate Change Conference in 2014, our representatives argued that it was not fair to tell developing nations to control emission levels since industrialization and the resulting pollution sit on the unavoidable path to catching up with developed countries.

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But at the first ever Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet (RE-Invest), the Prime Minister acknowledged that more effort was needed to create renewable energy in order to meet India’s energy requirements. India and China signed the Agreement on Cooperation on Addressing Climate Change in 2009 and a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Green Technologies in 2010.

The two have proposed that developed countries should also work towards decreasing their greenhouse gas emissions. Since economically disadvantaged regions will be paying the toll of balancing industrialization and pollution levels partly because of the previous actions of richer nations, India and China want them to help with technology, finance and capacity-building support.

India and China have agreed upon the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol being appropriate for calling on international commitment towards climate change. Both countries are gearing up to ink a deal under the UNFCCC in 2015. This will cover the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities

Developed nations like the US which did not consider the impact of industrialization on climate change while on their path to advancement, will be required to take part in the cleanup efforts due to their historical responsibility. Even development stages and national circumstances of the participating countries will be carefully accounted for in the 2015 agreement that India and China will sign.

India and China will also engage in bilateral dialogues over energy conservation, energy efficiency, green energy, renewable energy, sustainable modes of transport such as electronic vehicles, low-carbon urbanization and much more. Interested parties can read the joint statement by following this link.

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