Delhi,Mumbai green groups team up,lobby for emission cuts

The DSF has addressed more than 20 meetings across the country explaining the complexities of climate change to civil society. Now,an initiative to create a credible statement on climate change by the group,begun a year ago through dialogue among members and academia,is near completion. India is currently working on creating its own legislation on climate change,for which a National Institute on Climate Change,and reporting emission cuts to Parliament are on the cards.

In its statement made after seminars in Delhi and Mumbai,the DSF and other academics have stressed that developing countries like India need to take tougher emission cuts. Conditional upon developed countries taking deep emission cuts,India and other large developing nations should take 25 per cent emission cuts from normal levels,it says.

It also adds that the popular carbon market,which compensates for pollution in one part pf the world by investing in a green project elsewhere,should not be made part of national emission reduction targets. Interestingly,the statement also makes a premise that the world should work towards equity in energy consumption per capita — and not just emission cuts per capita — for and among all nations.

“We’re going to lobby with the government and political parties to make this statement be heard,especially if a climate change bill is made. We started work on creating this joint statement a year ago,” said DSF Secretary D Raghunandan.

“Just like the WTO talks or farming-related talks which do not appear to affect the common people,but actually do,climate change is also an issue that needs to be demystified for common people. We have addressed more than 25 public talks on the issue as it should not be lost to civilians amid complex negotiations. We have to create that interface for people,” he said.

The Copenhagen climate change summit at the end of this year,will not be the end of the negotiations,said members. “But it will just be the beginning for enlightening people,influencing the Government to make climate change a developmental and justice-oriented goal,” he said.