Emissions and Concerns for India - Some Future Options

Though all governments have opened eyes on the menaces of increasing carbon emission levels, rapid increase in the production of waste, destruction of natural habitats and many such problems that have cropped up with growth and development, they are yet to reach at a consensus on each country's share of responsibility in mitigating the issues. This "Climate Brief -1: Emissions and Concerns for India - Some Future Options", explicates the two different ways with which developed and developing countries look at the problem - the absolute and per capita methods of calculating carbon emission - so as to set national targets for emission reduction. As the per capita emission levels of developed countries like USA, Canada and Australia are high, they are mandated by the Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions (based on figures in the year 1990) at higher percentages - more than 90% in all cases - which in turn became unacceptable to these countries.

Developing countries like India, while clamoring for per capita method of calculation of emission levels, has already taken up initiatives in Clean Development Mechanism or CDM on a large scale. Ensuring equity among its masses while implementing sustainable development programmes, working out ways for financing of clean technology and foreseeing and avoiding various pitfalls in the transferring and implementation of clean technology are the challenges faced by the country in the current scenario.