‘Carbon emissions necessary for India’

While India played a crucial role at the climate summit at Copenhagen opposing the legally binding targets for carbon emission cuts, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) have collaborated on a new approach to developing a strategy for climate negotiation over carbon budget of the country. T Jayaraman, chairperson, Centre for Science, Technology and Society, School of Habitat Studies, TISS, talks to DNA about his paper which was recently discussed by Jairam Ramesh, minister of state for environment and forest at a conference held recently.

Can you explain the crux of the paper presented by you on ‘Global Carbon budgets and burden sharing regimes’?
Since 1970, 2/3rd of carbon emissions in the atmosphere have been contributed by developed countries. These countries which went through major industrialisation at one time, owe the rest of the world a carbon debt of -127 billion tonnes.

However, for developing countries like India, carbon dioxide emissions are now a necessary part of growth and development. In this context, it has to be treated as the utilisation of the global ‘carbon space’ available in the atmosphere. It is evident that every nation’s fair share of carbon space is proportionate to its share of global population.

In this paper, we have developed a carbon space model that provides strategies for a more equitable distribution of carbon space. It shows the need for carbon space of those countries with per capita emissions and GDP well below the global average.

How does this study calculate India’s carbon budget?
Currently, India’s per capita emission is estimated at being around 1.5 tonnes per capita. The global average is around 4.4 tonnes per capita. The carbon budget perspective shows the promise of keeping India’s per capita emissions below that of the developed nations at all times, is unnecessarily restrictive.
There has to be equitable sharing of global carbon space available in the atmosphere. For this, few countries will have to cut down their emissions drastically, while some countries should be allowed to increase.

What kind of support do you think India will get when talking about equitable sharing of carbon space in the global atmosphere?
India has strong supporters from other developing countries such as Brazil, South Africa, China, etc.  Developed countries at present are looking at an approach that emission of greenhouse gases is fundamentally a form of pollution causing environmental damage that must cease at the earliest. This perception has been the basis for developed nations arguing that large emitters, irrespective of whether they are developed or developing nations, must share the burden of climate change mitigation immediately. This is a one-sided consideration as carbon emissions are recognised only as pollution and not as a necessary part of development.

Where do you think India figures in the global carbon budget discussions?
India has been playing a leadership role and has made its stand very clear. Even at the Copenhagen Climate summit, India opposed the recommendations of developed countries on carbon budgets, which were based on total stock of greenhouse gases, rather than on total emissions in a single year. There is hope that a change can be brought about in the perspective of these countries.