#dnaEdit: Climate moves

The China-US climate deal announced by Presidents  Xi Jinping and Barack Obama is startling because it represents the decision of the two most powerful economies in the world. The US despite its many internal economic woes still remains at the top, and China has moved into the second slot overtaking Japan. The promise to reduce carbon emissions is still vague in terms of actual numbers. According to the Xi-Obama Wednesday declaration, China wants to change its energy basket in such a way that by 2030, 20 per cent of its energy needs will be met by nuclear, solar and wind power. The US, on its part, promises to cut back on carbon emissions by 26-28 per cent at 2005 levels by 2025. It is an improvement on the American commitment made at the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent at the 2005 levels by 2020. Apparently, the Americans have managed to achieve 10 per cent reduction on their 2009 commitment.

What is intriguing about the China-US climate deal announcement is the fact that it has been made ahead of the Paris summit in 2015, and it would appear that the two big countries in terms of their economic muscle do not want to be jostled around by other countries on a sensitive issue which impacts their respective domestic economies and politics. This is more so in the case of the US than China. The Americans have resisted binding commitments because of the Republicans —  big businesses have argued that any cut in carbon emissions will affect domestic economic growth and jobs and kill off the coal industry. But the liberal media in the US is arguing that youth, women and Hispanics are now convinced that climate change is an issue and that they will be voting for a candidate who will support policies for cutting carbon emissions. 

It is not yet established that reduction in carbon emissions affects economic growth or creation of jobs. The European Union has announced a more sharp reduction in carbon emissions by 40 per cent of the 1990 levels by 2030, and the climate change advocates in EU have maintained that cut in emissions will not mean cut in economic growth rates.

With the key world players like the US, China and EU setting their own goals, does this leave India behind and alone? At the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit, India played a lead role, even chaperoning China,when Obama barged into a meeting of the Indian and Chinese delegations to forge a compromise accord, which was not fully acceptable to all the member-countries. India has been opposing quantitative commitments and internationally monitored verification processes. Now New Delhi will have to hold its ground without support from the developing or from developed countries. 

India has alienated developing countries as it was opposed to binding limits on carbon emissions because it did not want to compromise on its own economic growth story. The US-China announcement shows that the two countries have worked out a domestic strategy to achieve their goals. India has not worked out a similar domestic strategy which takes care of climate change concerns as well as economic growth. Indian political parties and leaders will have to come to terms with the issues of climate change and work out appropriate policies because in India too, the younger generation is becoming more and more aware about the dangers posed by climate change. The hitherto neglected green issues may come to have a bearing on future electoral outcomes.