Australia’s Climate Change Adviser Ross Garnaut is reported to have stated, the developed nations would be unable to implement climate change conditions unless there was collective effort from China and India. This has surprised the international community, since even the Bali Summit had been beset by several issues from the emerging economies like China and India, which are yet to be sorted out. Analysts fear that such statements could deflect the objective of Climate Change Conference in Poland. This conference is expected to serve as a preparatory stage to the final summit that will be held in Copenhagen next year to upgrade the present Kyoto Protocol.
According to Garnaut’s study, by 2030, Australia’s global emissions will be just 1 per cent while China with 33 per cent, the US with 11 per cent and India with 8 per cent will be the major polluters. Australia is expected to set a carbon emission reduction target of 5-15 per cent by 2020. Nonetheless, Tim Flannery, the chairman of the Copenhagen Climate Council and the Australian of the year 2007 opined that Australia should take the lead role like that of Barack Obama who had laid out ambitious plans to constructively contribute in achieving the global emission targets. The US President-elect Obama has earlier released his plans of emission cuts 20% below the 1990 levels by 2020 and below 80% by 2050 despite the country facing deep economic crisis.
Already, the earlier talks are mired with differences by developing countries on emission reductions and flawed carbon credit system, which year on year has been dominated by China. Poland for instance, is squarely against any stipulations on emission cuts since the country is already struggling with a huge energy shortage.
Flannery stated he could sense that China is relenting and may fall in line with the developed countries to make steep cuts. But the possibilities of deriving any such concessions from India are most unlikely since the country is striving hard to maintain its growth in a global melt-down scenario. Besides, so far India was not able to largely benefit from carbon credits either.
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