December
7, 2007 US Favors
Flexible Approach
to Climate Change By Arun Kumar
Washington
The US says it's wrong to suggest it has wide differences with India
on the issue of climate change as Washington only favors a flexible
approach recognizing the diverse needs of nations.
"India is an active partner in the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean
Development and Climate, so it would be incorrect to suggest that
there are wide differences between the US and India," a key advisor
of President George Bush said here Thursday.
"There are some questions as to how we structure a new approach that
enables the character of our commitment to be common while
recognizing that the content of that commitment means
differentiating between countries," said James L. Connaughton,
chairperson of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
"A lot of people in India don't have access to modern services; they
deserve access to those services. Let's see if we can come up with a
technology to lower the carbon profile," he said while briefing
reporters on the US position at the UN conference on climate change
underway at Bali, Indonesia.
"Clearly countries such as Indonesia and Brazil, their main focus is
going to be forestry, the issue of deforestation. And that's what
they should be focused on," Connaughton said, explaining
Washington's stand on a new UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change to replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012.
On the other hand, "countries like China and America should be
focused very solidly on trying to come up with low carbon coal, to
produce power from coal with low carbon emissions and how to deal
with our roadway transportation-related issues".
"So this is where you're going to see some new configurations of
countries focused on specific areas of priority and that's where we
need common action," he said, noting that China's likely to have as
many cars as America by 2020.
"So we expect a mix. We can be much more flexible, we can be much
more adaptable, we must be complete in our effort because the facts
are fairly straightforward. In order to make a sizeable reduction in
greenhouse gases it requires action by all of the major emerging
economies," Connaughton said.
Making a similar pitch, Paula Dobriansky, under secretary of state
for democracy and global affairs, said: "... we think it is
important to look at the diverse characteristics of all the
countries assembled because one size doesn't fit all in addressing
the issue of climate change."
"What may work in the case for India may be different as is working
for Japan, as for South Africa, for the United States," she said.
"So as we go forward, we specifically are looking at ways of
addressing the common goal and objective of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions, enhancing energy security, and also promoting and
advancing economic growth, but doing it in a way that can provide
for the kind of flexibility and approach."
One of the issues discussed in the major economies meeting called by
President Bush was in fact looking at specific national plans and
establishing mid-term goals and targets toward that end, the
official said.
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