New Delhi: The US on Monday said there was no divide with India on the issue of climate change and it would like to be the nation's "best partner", days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that the country will not come under pressure of international community in this regard.
Ahead of the UN climate talks in Paris later this year, US said that there are opportunities for Indian businesses to lead the way in climate change as the innovations done here to become smarter, cleaner, productive and more profitable, will be attractive to a global community.
"As Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to implement Smart Cities, Make in India, the Clean India/Swachh Bharat campaign, and works to deploy his goal of 175 GW of clean, renewable energy by 2022, there will be countless opportunities to utilise cleaner technologies," US Ambassador to India Richard Verma said.
He was speaking after the launch of "Climate Partners" programme aimed at highlighting the economic opportunities associated with climate action in New Delhi.
Welcoming India's recent proposal to phasedown hydrofluorocarbons - a very potent greenhouse gases, the US said that it is "interested" in being India's "best partner" and is working "closely" to find ways to promote the transition to a low carbon and clean energy future.
Stating that the US understands the kind of leadership that India wants it to play in climate talks, Verma said: "I think we are moving out and we need to move out of early 1990s world, which was divided into two camps. We are not in two camps anymore."
"If we all have to be in the same camp moving forward together again taking into account our national circumstances, we really do that," he said.
He noted that not only the US but the world is watching India which has a significant role to play on climate change. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently said that India cannot be forced to "follow" the parameters laid down by the developed world on climate change and instead should lead the world in the fight against it.
Verma said that the US has already submitted its INDC (intended nationally determined contribution) last month with a commitment to reduce emissions by 28 per cent by 2025.
Stating that the entire world is interested to know India's INDC, Verma said, "India is working hard on its proposed INDC and we are very much looking forward to seeing it when it is ready.
"There is not only interest in the US but the entire world is interested in what India will do owing to its size, economic growth projections and already significant greenhouse gas emissions."
The UN climate conference, to be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11 this year, is tasked with finalising a global agreement designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions. India is pro-actively engaging with the world to arrive at a fair and equitable climate agreement.
Asked why the US' INDC was silent on technology transfer and financing issues, Verma said that the US is keen to share clean technologies with Indian companies and is addressing impediments for transfer of the same.
"We want to share our best technologies and practices with Indian companies. It is some of these impediments that we need to address to work on...intellectual property has also been a big issue, which overhangs the US companies to transfer technologies. We are working on these issues."
Asserting that US recognises its share of responsibility for the current climate change situation, Verma said, "We are a major industrialised country that has been emitting large amount of greenhouse gases for many decades. There is absolutely no denial of that reality by President Barack Obama and certainly not from me personally."
Verma also said that the the new climate agreement is all about setting ambitious targets and not the modest one. "It is not that we set our goal modestly. History will judge and judge us harshly if we don't set ambitious goals and targets for the future. That what is about Paris agreement.
Adaption is important to address the impact of climate change and the US has already contributed USD three billion to the development of the climate fund, he added.
"In addition to traditional areas, the US is working closely with India to find ways to promote transition to a low-carbon clean energy future," he said.
In February, the US Embassy and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy launched the India Clean Energy Finance Forum and the US-India Task Force on Clean Energy Finance.
Terming climate change as the "most complicated" challenge, the Ambassador said that it is a challenge with multiple causes and impacts and one that crosses all international boundaries.
"Its fundamental connection to development and growth sometimes make it politically difficult to accept that sweeping changes are necessary," he said.
Comments
0 comment