US envoy for ‘quantified’ emission cuts

Without specifying the target he had in mind for developing countries,he said it was imperative that all the stakeholders take action.

Stern said he did not foresee an agreement coming out of Copenhagen that did not include quantified emission cuts for developing countries like India. While New Delhi has no reservations about reducing its overall carbon emissions,provided that it is supported by finance and technology transfer from the developed world it doesn’t have to compromise on its development and growth imperatives,it has made it clear that fixing any target for its emission reduction was completely unacceptable.

Stern emphasised that while the US position did not “involve the notion that India should forego its need to alleviate poverty and grow”,reducing emissions without adhering to some sort of quantified target amounted to not being “scientifically serious”.

Stern said the US policy was guided by both science and pragmatism. “ On the pragmatism part,we realise that we cannot demand perfection. We need to take into account economic and developmental constraints.

With respect to the science part,there has got to be some sort of quantification and there are different ways of doing it. One can have commitments to a national target or a commitment to certain actions that are intended to add up to x amount of reduction in greenhouse emissions,” he said.

On the issue of technology transfer,Stern sounded much more closer to the Indian position and acknowledged its importance in helping the developing countries meet the challenge of climate change. “Climate change is the problem and technology is the solution,” he said. Stern,who was part of the team accompanying US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her five-day official trip to India,had stayed back after Clinton’s departure to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Shyam Saran.

The two countries hope to reach some sort of a bilateral arrangement between themselves ahead of the Copenhagen summit in December.