India's concerns on non-binding emission cuts met at Summit: Climate expert

India's concerns on non-binding emission cuts have been met at the Copenhagen summit though the climate deal does open a window for a new legal treaty that may kill Kyoto Protocol based on principle of equity, a top government climate expert said today.

Rejecting allegations that India has succumbed to US pressure at the historic meet, Rajni Ranjan Rashmi, joint director in environment ministry, maintained that the way the direction of the talks were going at the Danish capital, India was expecting nothing but equity.

"And equity has been ensured by limiting temperature level to two degree Celsius which has been agreed by all the nations, both developing and developed nations," Rashmi, who was part of the Indian delegation at the 12-day meet, told PTI today.

The official, while admitting that it was not a win-win situation for India since it was a global accord with positives and negatives in it said, "No binding commitments have been imposed upon the developing nations. This has been a major success for India as promised (by the government) in Parliament.

"Also, survival of Kyoto Protocol has been ensured despite persistent attempt by the European Union to junk its mandate of equity but differentiated responsibilities," he said on the outcome of the Summit.

The third major achievement for India was that it managed to avoid global emission cuts of 50% by 2050 as demanded by the US and other developed nations.

"Hence, while the Summit set a commitment to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius, it did not spell out the  important global emission targets for 2020 or 2050 that are the key to holding down temperatures," he said. On the downside, the treaty has opened windows for a new legal treaty that may result in the burial of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, Rashmi said of the limited agreement reached at the Summit.

Indicating that the ball is now in the government's court to ensure that the red lines are adhered to, he said, "The treaty will be reviewed in 2015 so we have five years with us and see how we can negotiate further to ensure that the Kyoto Protocol survives."

On the funding part, he said too little was being offered by the developed nations, who have been using money as a divisive weapon against the emerging nations by luring the least developed nations and small island nations.

To a question whether the US can challenge emerging economies like India and China on climate steps, he replied in the negative stating that the deal was not a legal document and Washington or for that matter the developed nations cannot scrutinise domestic mitigation and adaptation steps.

"We have not conceded on international verification but bilaterally, the countries can consult each other on the issue," he added.