Environment minister Jairam Ramesh today slammed as "homeo-patehtic" the United States' offer of reduction of 17% of its total carbon emission by 2020 on 2005 level and wanted a vastly improved target cut.
Ahead of the UN climate change meet at Cancun in Mexico next week, Ramesh said "The US offer of reduction of 17% of carbon emission by 2020 on 2005 level is not only an homeopathic offer but homeo-pathetic offer as it translates to 3% emission reduction by 2020 on 1990 refrence level."
He also took a dig at the world's richest country for failing to contribute sufficently to climate change actions.
"For 2010, the total contribution from the US, the world's richest country and the world's largest historical emittor..., the total contribution of the US to the fast-start finance is roughly $1.8 billion, of which $400 million is export credit alone. It's a laughable number," he told reporters said.
However, he said the US involvement in the forthcoming negotiations was a must as "otherwise the process would be half-hearted efforts."
He said that in this regard India would be open to be engaged in a system of global monitoring of climate change efforts, a move that would engage the US in the UN climate negotiations at Cancun later this month.
"We are certainly prepared to engage in a system of monitoring, review and verifications/international consultation and analysis(MRV/ICA) of domestic climate actions which respects national soverignity.
"... and we have suggested a set of operational guidelines how this system will function," Ramesh said.
He said India will make such a proposal in this regard at the meet to engage the US which can play a key role in meeting technical and financial support to developing countries to deal with climate change threats.
"The US has made it clear that it would not negotiate other issues such as on forestry and technolgy and adaptation unless we take up MRV/ICA, which we are ready with our set of conditions. This would break the logjam and impasse (at the Cancun meet)."
Ramesh also made it clear that in view of various uncertainities on climate fund and other issues with the developed nations, "it's time to find a middle ground if we need to get a set of a meaningful agreements."
However, Ramesh made it clear that there was no question of taking up legally-binding commitments as the second period of Kyoto Protocol was non-negotiable and there was a need to have a vastly improved target reduction from US not for the year 2050 but for 2020.
India has also proposed for establishing the technology mechanism to set up an international network of centres "focussing in the area of adaptation where IPR and licensing issues are not contensious and controversial issues."
Ramesh said that given the failure of the fast-start finance to take off and continued differences among countries on various issues, "the most optimistic scenario will be a set of decisions which will lay a groudnwork for further negotiations to culminate either in an agreement or a set of aggrements which could be clinched by the time we have next meeting in Durban in South Africa next year."
However, he expected hopes of getting some decisions on setting up of a green fund along with its governance structure and an agreement on network of climate innovation centres focussed primarily on adaaptation because IPR issues will not be a central issue.
"We are also expecting an agreement on adaptation, on meeting the adaptation needs of the most vulnerable nations--Africa, smaller developed nations and LDCs", Ramesh said.
"We are also expecting an endorsement of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) and REDD-plus," he said.
