The past two months have been a roller-coaster ride for India in terms of its stance on climate change. And talks to be held in Copenhagen this December have been surrounded by controversy -- be it the failed talks in Barcelona or India taking its own emission cuts before the summit. Many believe the talks will fail. However, Rajendra K Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Director-General of The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri), remains hopeful.
While India needs to be seen as a responsible global citizen, it's important to keep in mind the rich world's emission levels have actually risen, not fallen - India taking on commitments won't fix this.
That a sun-soaked country like India should invest in solar energy is a no-brainer. That it should build green, energy-efficient buildings while conserving scarce water resources is also an obvious thing to do. It should also invest in afforestation and practise sustainable agriculture. These are some of the initiatives that form the National Action Plan on Climate Change, or NAPCC. What is called an action plan is in fact a wish-list of desirable objectives; still, it is a smart way to focus energies on doing what officials term as “no-regret” measures while putting the country on a higher moral ground at the climate change negotiating table.
A year after the country’s ambitious National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was unveiled by the prime minister, its nuts and bolts are yet to be finalised.
India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), whose modalities are yet to be worked out, will play a key role in India’s negotiating strategy at the upcoming Copenhagen Conference.
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