Jairam Ramesh, India’s environment minister, has publicly stated that he believes rich, developed nations should face the brunt of whatever carbon reduction deal comes out of the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December, insisting that for nations like India continued growth is a necessity, if the nation is to develop to the level that its rich counterparts have had the freedom to do for years.

Further, he claims that their longer and continued history of pollution means that they must take a higher proportion of the cuts, because they have contributed more.

It has been argued that India’s position, which is supported by smaller nations, and in part by China, could cause problems at the negotiating table; Ramesh believes that growth is still necessary in India, and that environmental reform can only come alongside that growth, but he is not ready to compromise the rising strength of his nation  with timely emissions cuts.

A new McKinsey report, though, has claimed that India can continue to grow, and lower its emissions levels, together. Co-author of the report, Rajat Gupta, stated that,

“Eighty percent of what India could be in 2030 is yet to be built, providing the country an opportunity to effectively manage the economic and environmental costs of growing energy requirements“.

The hypothesis, then, is that India can grow in a way that limits its emissions outputs, making a commitment to clean technology and green energy as it grows, ensuring a case of ‘not using’ carbon-based technology, rather than cutting down on the power of its industries; adding to, not removing.

Ed Miliband, the British Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), made similar comments last month, when he stated that India were particularly interested in solar energy, and that a move towards solar energy necessarily means a move towards a lower carbon economy.

Indeed, it is India – along with China – who are in unique positions of growth; they have a chance to grow in a way that is environmentally friendly and sustainable, where other countries, already developed and established along carbon-based economies, can only replace, if they wish to make the change.

Source:  Worldwatch