Report that includes emissions reductions as a development target is "sending the wrong signal," former environment minister says
NEW DELHI (AlertNet Climate) - India's rural development minister has slammed a United Nations report which includes reducing C02 emissions as a development target agreed by poor countries, saying it was a "mistake" and that the international body was "sending the wrong signal".
Jairam Ramesh, a former environment minister, was India's voice - echoing that of many developing nations - in refusing to commit to legally binding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions in international climate change negotiations.
Developing countries including India say such restrictions would unfairly curb their ability to develop, and that richer developed nations – who have historically emitted the majority of climate-changing gases – should be responsible for making most of the world’s legally binding emissions cuts.
During Friday's launch of a new progress report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - a set of eight global targets aimed at improving the lives of many of the world’s poor agreed and agreed to in 2000 by 192 U.N. member states - Ramesh said he was in "shock" after reading the report.
"I think the mistake that you did was to send this report to me in advance," he told officials from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which had published the report.
"I was shocked to see Table 1.1. There is no other word to describe my sentiment except a sense of shock. Because nowhere in the Millennium Development Goals was the reduction of CO2 emissions a target. Nowhere. At no point of time,” he said.
India is the world's third largest emitter of climate-changing gases after the United States and China, and rapid economic growth and consumption are driving up production of planet-warming carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants, transport and industry.
But the government - like those in many other parts of the developing world - has long insisted it will not accept binding emissions reduction targets in any new climate deal because to do so would harm the economy and stall its aim to lift millions out of poverty.
A number of developed countries have accepted such limits on their emissions, but some major polluters – including Canada and Russia – have failed to meet their goals and others – particularly the United States – have never agreed to binding restrictions.
The MDGs aim by 2015 to reduce child and maternal mortality, halve poverty and hunger, provide universal primary education, improve gender equality and halt the spread of HIV/AIDS.
But while there is a goal on environment sustainability, this pertains only to reducing the loss of forest cover, halving the number of people without clean water and sanitation and improving the lives of slum dwellers.
"Remember the MDGs are only for developing countries and no developing country has accepted the goal of a reduction in absolute CO2 emissions," said Ramesh. He said including an emissions reduction goal among the MDGs was a very serious conceptual, intellectual and analytical flaw.
"So I take serious objection actually to Table 1.1. This is not the spirit of the Millennium Development Goals and (I) would request the authors to please make this change because this sends a very, very wrong signal."
The report also listed reduction of ozone depleting substances as an MDG goal, which Ramesh said was also incorrect.
U.N. officials present at the launch admitted there was an "error" which they planned to rectify.
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