India to insist on ratification of Kyoto pact period at Lima

At the ministerial talks at Lima climate summit, India not only wants to flaunt its green achievements and future plans, but will also insist on the operationalisation of an existing global treaty that can prevent rich nations from abruptly increasing emission in the next six years

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“All parties must ratify the second commitment period for Kyoto protocol so that overuse of carbon space will be spared,” said Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar before his departure for Lima to head the Indian negotiation team.
At the Peruvian capital, the leaders will put together the building blocks of a new global emission cut agreement, which is likely to be adopted at the 2015 summit in Paris.

But before a new agreement, the ratification of the second commitment period (2013-2020) under Kyoto Protocol is required by most of the world for safeguarding the remaining available carbon space. Otherwise, those who would not ratify it can quickly ramp up their industrial output in the next six years, adding to the emissions.

Till date, only 18 countries have accepted the treaty's extension till 2020, and 144 more nations are required to bring it into force. “The US, Japan, Australia and Canada must declare their actions,” said Javadekar.

India, too, is in the process of ratifying it, said Union Environment Secretary Ashok Lavasa. The first commitment period was between 2008 and 2012, when the European Union promised to reduce its emission by 8 per cent and Japan by 6 per cent from the 1990-level.

At Lima, Javadekar will showcase India's solar plans and the new coal cess, while asking others for their plan to reduce emission. “We have upgraded our solar target from 20,000 MW to 100,000 MW in the next five years. This will lead to saving of 50 million tonnes of coal,” he said.

The minister also claimed that a unit of solar energy now costs Rs 6.3, which makes it comparable with thermal power. The government has also doubled the energy cess from coal to be used in green energy programmes.

This has already generated Rs 38,000 crore. “Poverty elimination is our priority, and we are confident that we will not be alone. We are entitled to emit as we need to grow, but we are not taking the business-as-usual path,” he noted.