India will have to reset climate goals in the face of US-China joint pledge to take action to limit their carbon emissions. The secret treaty signed by two may put pressure on India to commit some steps by March next year. Before this China, the world’s largest emitter of the greenhouse gas emissions, had insisted on its ‘developing’ status to dodge reduction targets. India has already accepted an emission ceiling. In 2007, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India’s per capita emission would never exceed the average per capita achieved by the developed nations. The recent development is also seen as something that may trigger a clamour within the country to delink itself from China ahead of the global climate negotiation in Paris next year. Climate watchers believe that whatever top two emitters have pledged is well short of what is needed from them to limit warming to two degree Celsius by the end of century. India should push for a principle-based emission reduction target for all countries. This is the only way to force US-China to reduce their emission levels. Last year India’s emission level was at 7 per cent compared to China’s 28 per cent and US’s 14 per cent. India should now work harder with developing nations and push for an ambitious global deal which is equitable and saves the world from catastrophic climatic impacts. The deal is also a reality check for India about its stance on global climate negotiations. India will have to decide whether it wants to go with US-China or carve out a stand of its own model thus maintaining a balance between development and environment protection.
