India Pledges to Cut Emissions

Associated Press
NEW DELHI--India committed Sunday to reduce the intensity of its carbon emissions by 20% to 25% by 2020 from 2005 levels, meeting a deadline for developing countries to set voluntary carbon-curbing actions.
In its statement announcing the target, the Environment and Forests Ministry didn't spell out what measures India, the world's fifth largest polluter, would take to meet the goal. The statement also said the targeted cuts won't be legally binding.
An accord agreed at the Copenhagen climate conference in December had set the Jan. 31 deadline for developing countries to present their nonbinding, voluntary carbon-curbing actions, and for rich nations to submit economy-wide emissions targets for 2020.
India's pledge, which it publicized earlier, means that it will adopt cleaner technologies to slow the rate at which emissions are growing--reducing the intensity of emissions per unit of gross domestic product. However, it doesn't cover the agriculture sector, a move aimed at ensuring food security for the country's growing population of 1.2 billion.
China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has pledged to cut carbon emissions intensity by 40% to 45% by 2020, compared with levels in 2005.
United Nations scientists warn of dire consequences for the planet if action isn't taken to fight climate change. They say any temperature rise above 3.6-degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) could lead to a catastrophic sea-level rise, threatening islands and coastal cities, the killing off of many species of animals and plants, and the alteration of agricultural economies of many countries.
Officials from India, China, Brazil and South Africa met in New Delhi last week where they urged developed countries to act on their pledge made in Copenhagen to contribute $10 billion to help poor countries deal with the effects of climate change.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press