SciDev.Net

Accessing low-carbon technologies are a priority for India

NREL / West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency

Fast-developing countries such as India should offer up their domestic action plans as part of global efforts when the world gathers for the UN climate talks in Copenhagen this December, says Rajendra K. Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

India's priority is not simply reducing global emissions as quickly as possible but also accessing adaptation technologies to cope with the inevitable impacts of climate change, which will likely include rising sea levels, more frequent and intense cyclones and water scarcity.

Access will depend on partnerships between developing and developed countries, built on well-defined intellectual property rights.

And, under the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibility' as supported by India, the developed world must support technology transfer regardless of whether rapidly developing economies such as China or India themselves commit to reducing emissions.

India is unlikely to commit to emissions limits before 2020 but it can, and should, offer up its National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) as part of a global package of commitments, suggests Pachauri. India will firmly reject having the NAPCC subjected to verification measures but might agree to annual international reporting, he adds.

In either case, unprecedented changes in Indian institutions will be needed to actually achieve the plan's ambitious goal of achieving sustainable development while dealing with climate change.

Link to full article in Nature