A COP8 out?

World wars are raging in the backyard, if the goings on at the Eighth Conference of Parties COP8, presently taking place in Delhi, are an ...

World wars are raging in the backyard, if the goings on at the Eighth Conference of Parties COP8, presently taking place in Delhi, are an indication. COP8 brings together the 185 nations that have signed the UN convention on global warming. The most recent cause for tension is, of course, the exclusion 8212; deliberate or otherwise 8212; of any reference to the Kyoto Protocol in the draft Delhi Declaration circulated by India8217;s minister of environment and forests, T.R. Baalu. The European Union, particularly, has taken umbrage at this omission because it suspects that it is the US that has ensured this, given its refusal to abide by the norms set by this Protocol.

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the earlier United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, agreed upon in 1992, are the two international agreements the world has in dealing with global warming. Clearly, these conventions have their share of flaws. It is arguable whether they have helped in significantly reducing greenhouse gases thus far and the fact that the US 8212; believed to be responsible for a fourth of the world8217;s carbon dioxide emissions 8212; has steadfastly refused to cooperate, only made the negotiation process considerably less effective. It is these fairly intransigent positions that have now surfaced with a vengeance in Delhi. It would be unfortunate, however, if they are allowed to stymie forward movement. Delhi should not go down on this map as having marked a regression in the climate negotiation process.

There are, basically, two major interventions required from the world community: to achieve a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by switching to renewable technologies and to deal effectively with the impact on the climate brought on by existing levels of emission. Take the case of India. It has wasted too much time protesting its innocence and its right to pollute as a 8216;developing8217; nation. It makes eminent sense for this country to move with the times and set its own house in order, environmentally speaking. Such a trajectory will yield untold benefits, not just in terms of cash but in the quality of life of the people; not just in ecological terms, but in economic terms as well. Inefficient energy use, after all, translates into not just a polluted environment but a poorly-run economy.