We should partner with Japan on green tech: Ramesh

I / New York September 23, 2009, 11:19 IST

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh expressed hope of a long-term partnership with Japan in the field of green technology, praising the message given by Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama at the high-level Climate Change Summit here.     

"I think the Japanese Prime Minister was very bold and he made a very specific commitment," Ramesh said.     

The minister also called US President Barack Obama's speech as "inspirational" but "not substantive". "The US president was not concrete."     

In a bilateral meeting with Japanese officials, Ramesh discussed a partnership agreement in the field of technology for climate change.     

"Japan is the leading technology player. We are now building new power plants, which will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions with the help of Japan," he said, pointing out that the first supercritical power plant in India is being built with Toshiba technology.     

"I also spoke about a long-term partnership between India and Japan in power, transport and industry because clearly technology is going to be holding the key to mitigation, and here Japan can be of great help to us," Ramesh added.

Hatoyama, the recently elected Prime Minister of Japan, received great applause when he announced that his country, as a mid term target, would aim to reduce emissions by 25 per cent by 2020 compared to the 1990 level.     

He also pledged that Japan will assist developing countries to combat climate change.

"Public financial assistance and technology transfer to developing countries are critically important," Hatoyama said.     

The high-level summit, which featured more than 100 world leaders was convened to mobilise political will ahead of the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The meeting in the Danish capital is expected to yield a climate treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.