India commissions study on equity of carbon space

Seeking to make constructive contribution to the climate debate, India today said it had commissioned a study on equity of existing carbon space in the atmosphere, which could be crucial in determining the quantum or reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases.

“We have commissioned a study on equity of carbon space. I have asked Arvind Subramanian, a noted economist with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington, to prepare a paper on this,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told reporters here.

He said Subramanian was expected to submit the paper in April. The issue of equity of carbon space would be discussed at an international workshop being organised here in May ahead of the formal climate talks in Bonn.

Carbon space refers to the gap between existing carbon volumes in the atmosphere and the volume that will be dangerous for environment.

Past emissions of greenhouse gases from rich countries have taken up much of that space and the developing countries are now standing up for their share. The conference of experts would debate on the equity of future flows and not on the historical perspective.

“We do not have clarity on how equity is to be enshrined in international agreements,” Ramesh said at the 10th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit.

He noted that detailed separate studies by Jeffery Frankel of Harvard University, Nobel laureate Michael Spence and Potsdam Institute, Germany were available.

Ramesh said per capita emissions would certainly be one way of ensuring equity of carbon space.

Earlier, speaking at the DSDS session, Brice Lalonde, french ambassador incharge of international negotiations on climate change, favoured climate talks to be held at the level of the heads of state.

The climate negotiations cover a wide range of issues including financing, energy security, research and environment and heads of state have greater manoeuvrability in taking decisions on such matters, he said.

Mexican Environment Minister Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada said there was a need to change the traditional way of climate negotiations.