JOIN USThe US-China carbon deal has already started putting pressure on New Delhi to spell out its emission cut targets.
The United Kingdom (UK) on Saturday asked India to take a “lead role” in global efforts to mitigate climate change.
Signalling growing expectation from the west for New Delhi to pledge its emission cut targets in the wake of the agreement signed by the US and China, British Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Climate Change and Energy Baroness Verma told journalists that UK wanted to see India “taking the lead and show direction” to the world for dealing with global warming.
American President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping announced the breakthrough in bilateral climate change negotiations in Beijing last Wednesday. The deal between the two largest emitters is not only expected to influence the outcomes of multilateral negotiations on climate change issues, but is also likely to put pressure on New Delhi to make some firm commitments on emission cuts over the next 15 or 20 years.
Obama announced a new target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions of the US by 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025. Xi too announced that China’s carbon dioxide emissions would peak around 2030, while the communist country has the intention of trying to peak even earlier. Beijing also vowed to increase the non-fossil fuel share of all energy to around 20 per cent by 2030.