India fully committed to Kyoto Protocol: Jairam Ramesh
By IANSWednesday, December 1, 2010
NEW DELHI - India was fully committed to the Kyoto Protocol but there was no agreement globally on its second commitment post-2012, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said Wednesday.
“India is fully committed to the Kyoto Protocol. The talks for further emission reduction commitments of Annex-I parties (developed countries) in the second commitment period (post-2012) are undergoing since 2005,” Ramesh informed parliament.
He said India, along with South Africa and 35 other like minded countries, had earlier submitted a proposal calling for Annex-I parties to agree to at least 40 percent emission reduction commitment by 2020 as compared to their 1990 levels.
“India has been one of the major beneficiaries of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a flexible mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol and would like that this mechanism to continue and be further strengthened,” Ramesh said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
He said there had been no agreement till date and the negotiations on the targets of Annex-I parties for the second commitment period and other relevant issues were going on at the climate change summit at Cancun.
The Kyoto Protocol is the only legally binding document which talks about emmission cuts by the developed countries. Its first term will expire by the end of 2012.
