Why No One Supports India and China's Views on the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

One of the highlights or the lowest points in the recent Copenhagen Summit in December were India and China's views on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It created a flurry of news reams across the planet, talks were suspended at the Summit for close to 3 hours, furious behind-the-scenes negotiations were conducted, political accusations were flung and counter-flung, these countries were painted as the devil incarnate, and it was merry mayhem indeed.

Only it wasn't so merry.

India, China, and Other Developing Nations' Greenhouse Gas Emissions at the Kyoto Protocol

China, India and other 3rd world, oops, developing nations made a valid point. However, behind all the media hype and the political posturing their viewpoints were sidelined. Till today, even one month after the Copenhagen Summit in December, no one has cared to ask that why did India and China at all object to the green hope?

Here is my understanding of the situation -

What was proposed at Copenhagen directly negated, and in fact, made invalid the Kyoto Protocol.

What was the essence of the Kyoto Protocol with reference to the developing nations? Well, this Protocol excused the developing nations from setting targets to reduce their CO2 production.

Why would anyone in their right minds propose and accept such a thing? And later, at Copenhagen, negate this?

This is because developing nations have a lighter carbon footprint in comparison to countries such as the US and Europe. Developing nations like India and China don't produce the maximum environmental damage which is why it was more productive for ‘first world' countries to make firm commitments and take meaningful steps to first reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

I saw this graph at earthtrends.wri.org which gave me some idea of the difference between the greenhouse gas emissions of developing nations like India and China versus the advanced nations like the US -



The graph is viewable here - http://earthtrends.wri.org/features/view_feature.php?fid=32&theme=3

As you can see, China's carbon footprint is less than half of the US.



India and China's Objection about Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Copenhagen

At Copenhagen, policy makers saw it fit to negate the Kyoto Protocol because they assumed that as developing nations become economically brisker, their emissions will go through the roof. So proactively, it was decided to make it compulsory for such nations to set targets for the emissions.

Such nations objected to this policy because they didn't see any value in agreeing to their minimal CO2 emissions while advanced nations continued to emit pollutants with equanimity.

What remains unnoticed is that some countries like China have actually managed to reduce their emissions while their economy keeps growing. They did this without being compelled to sign international commitments and without pressure from anyone...the very purpose such Summits and Protocols is to make nations do exactly what China did!

In India too, some heavy vehicles and public transport is cities like the capital New Delhi have already switched over to the use of natural gas which is more eco-friendly than fossilised fuel.

In the face of stiff resistance, these are a few of the reasons why I support India and China's views on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at Copenhagen in December 09.


Resource:
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