NEW DELHI, Oct 7: Slamming US on its climate action plan, an Indian green body today said America’s “business-as- usual” approach was putting the world at “deadly risk” and shifting the burden of fighting climate change to developing nations like India.
“The business-as-usual approach of the US means shifting of burden of fighting climate change to nations like India,” Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said in its analysis of the US’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC), or voluntary cuts.
CSE’s analysis of the US’s INDC on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions said this also puts the world at “deadly risk” given the impacts of changing climate, which are already evident in countries like India, where erratic weather is becoming the new “normal”, leading to huge losses for the poorest.
It also rued that there was “no evidence” of a policy- driven downward trend in GHG emissions of the US, which been the “biggest divisive force” in the UN climate change negotiations.
In the run up to the Paris conference, to be held between November 30 and December 11, CSE said the “no-domestic-action” approach of the US has transformed the UN Convention from a forum where every nation was supposed to take action based on ‘common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR)’ to one where nations are competing in a race to the bottom.
In a “severe indictment” of the US’ INDC, CSE said the country is not doing anything extra for climate change as most of the changes are happening naturally and automatically because of economic reasons and market forces and improvements are being “squandered away” because of increased growth and consumption.
“The US INDC is neither ambitious nor equitable. Our analysis shows that the key economic sectors of the US economy — energy, transport, industry, etc. — are operating and would continue to operate till 2030 in a business-as-usual way even as the rest of the world gears up to fight climate change,” Sunita Narain, the CSE Director General, said while releasing the report.
Every country, in the run up to the Paris climate change summit, is submitting its INDCs.
The US has already submitted its climate action plan in which it has pledged to cut greenhouse gases by 26-28 per cent by 2025 as against the 2005 level.
India, too, recently submitted its INDCs in which it has pledged to cut down its emissions by up to 35 per cent by 2030 from the 2005 levels, a 75 per cent jump over its present voluntary commitment.
CSE also said that India should be “aggressive” in Paris and demand higher commitments from developed nations, including the US.
The green NGO has also presented the report to Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. (PTI)
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