India is expected to convey its submission under the Copenhagen Accord to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat on Saturday to express its association with the legally non-binding agreement.
In line with the announcement made in Parliament, the government will commit to a 20-25 per cent cut in its carbon emission intensity by 2020 from 2005 levels.
The draft of the submission is awaiting final approval from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
All countries are to convey their stand on the Copenhagen Accord to the UNFCCC secretariat by January 31.
China’s submission
China sent its communication to the UNFCCC secretariat on Thursday on its autonomous domestic mitigation actions that commit to lowering carbon dioxide emissions per unit of the gross domestic product (GDP) by 40-45 per cent by 2020 compared to the 2005 levels.
The National Development and Reform Commission of China has also announced an increase in the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 15 per cent by 2020, and an increase in forest coverage by 40 million hectares and forest stock volume by 1.3 billion cubic metres by 2020 from the 2005 levels, while pointing out that the mitigation actions were voluntary in nature.
The United States also associated itself with the accord and announced a 17 per cent cut in its green house gas emissions from 2005 levels, but in conformity with the anticipated U.S. energy and climate legislation.
In a statement, U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern said the Obama Administration expects “that all major economies will honour their agreement in Copenhagen to submit their mitigation targets or actions as provided in the Accord.”
‘Continued commitment’
The U.S. submission reflects President Obama’s continued commitment to meeting the climate change and clean energy challenge through robust domestic and international action that will strengthen our economy, enhance our national security and protect our environment, Mr. Stern said.
“The U.S. is committed to working with our partners around the world to make the accord operational and to continue the effort to build a strong, effective, science-based, global regime to combat the profound threat of climate change,” he added.
The European Union has also expressed its willingness to be associated with the accord and “reconfirmed” its commitment to a negotiating process to achieve the strategic objective of limiting the increase in global average temperature to below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Spain, as president of the Council of the European Union, wrote to executive secretary of the UNFCCC Yvo de Boer on behalf of the 27 member States committing to an independent quantified economy-wide emissions reduction target of 20 per cent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.
