INDIA CALLS FOR REMOVAL OF BARRIERS
FOR TRANSFER OF CLIMATE FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY AT COP-9 MEETING AT
MILAN
"ALL
FACETS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MUST CONTRIBUTE POSITIVELY TO
POVERY ALLEVIATION"-T.R.BAALU
INDIA
AND THE UNITED STATES IDENTIFY CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY FOR COOPERATION
India has called
for removal of obstacles- financial and IPRs, for the successful
adaptation of emerging technology options in energy efficiency,
fuel switching, and renewable energy. Taking part at the First
Round Table of the High Level segment of COP-9 at Milan last night,
the Environment and Forests Minister, Shri T.R.Baalu said that
serious action to overcome these barriers is needed, without further
delay, as the adverse impact of climate change is already being
felt by poor and developing countries who are most vulnerable
to extreme climate events such as floods, droughts and severe
heat waves.
Talking on the issue
of sustainable development, Shri Baalu said that it involves realization
of synergies and complementarities between economic growth and
environmental protection. These in turn are dependent on several
factors such as technological change, trade regimes, historical
patterns of access to global resources and national policies.
"As far as India is concerned, all facets of sustainable
development must contribute positively to the dominant challenge
of our times-that of poverty alleviation," Shri Baalu
said.
Citing various projections
about Green House Gas emissions from the developed countries,
Shri Baalu said that it may increase by 10 per cent over the 1990
levels by 2010. Emissions from countries with economies in transition
are also starting to increase. "Effective action needs to
be taken by the industrialized countries for curtailing GHG emissions
both domestically and through cooperative mechanisms," he
said.
Turning to the issue
of adaptation, Shri Baalu said, it must enhance the ability
of developing countries to effectively cope with unavoidable climate
changes. Adaptation measures must be embodied in their overall
sustainable strategies. Reiterating the need for early operationalisation
of the special climate fund and the LDC fund as agreed at COP-8,
Shri Baalu said that adaptation measures need to be supported
and facilitated through financial and technology transfers by
Annexure-II parties under their United Nations Framework Convention
On Climate Change (UNFCCC) commitments.
Opening the ministerial
round table discussions, the President of COP-9 and the Minister
of Environmental Protection and Water Management of Hungary, Mr.Miklos
Persanyi paid glowing tributes to the initiative of Shri Baalu
for bringing the linkage between climate change and sustainable
development to the fore at the COP-8 meeting in New Delhi last
year. He said the twin issues of technology transfer and adaptation,
the major concerns of the developing countries have been pursued
by Shri Baalu during the inter-sessional period and concretized
in the recent Climate Technology Bazaar and Conferences on adaptation
held in New Delhi last month.
On the margins of
COP-9 Shri Baalu also had bilateral discussions with US Under
Secretary of State for Global Affairs and the leader of the US
delegation, Ms. Paula Dobriansky on Indo-US cooperation on climate
change. Several areas like climate modeling, early warning systems,
energy efficiency and renewables were identified for bilateral
cooperation. Shri Baalu said that the future projects should focus
on the needs of the vulnerable sections of society and adaptation
concerns must be integrated to them. He also suggested that a
specific project may be taken up on vulnerability assessment and
adaptation in stretches in Tamil Nadu in cooperation with local
communities like fishermen to study climate change propelled rise
in sea level and weather related events such as cyclones.
Ms. Dobriansky gave
an account of the Research and Development being carried out in
the United States towards a Hydrogen Economy. While appreciating
the objectives of the Project Shri Baalu said that any research
and development should lead to the technology being socio-economically
viable and within the reach of common man. He said that a cost
benefit analysis of the programme should be taken up and added
that vulnerable sections should be able to make use of the technology
for operating small pump sets and satisfying their basic needs
like drawing water.
