India and China join hands for a green future

Even as battlelines are drawn between developed and the developing world for Doha climate talks, India and China --- key allies at global climate negotiations --- today agreed to collaborate on clean technologies and finding solutions to their environmental problems.

Updated on: Nov 27, 2012, 02:30:41 IST

Hindustan Times | By Chetan Chauhan, New Delhi

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Even as battlelines are drawn between developed and the developing world for Doha climate talks, India and China --- key allies at global climate negotiations --- on Monday agreed to collaborate on clean technologies and finding solutions to their environmental problems.

“We (India and China) have similar environmental problems and can find joint solutions,” planning commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia said, after signing an agreement with Zhang Ping, chairman of Chinese National Development and Reforms Commission to conduct pilot studies in joint areas of interest. Burning issue

Both India and China have adopted innovative methods to deal with rising urban municipal and water waste, and Ahluwalia said both the countries could learn from each other’s experiences.

Although high cost solutions are available with western world, its applicability in the two countries is difficult because of the scale of the waste.

To assess the ground situation, India and China will conduct joint pilot studies, which would be scaled up, if found viable.

“We are also working on signing an agreement on collaboration in area of small hydro power projects,” Ahluwalia said.

India and China at second strategic economic dialogue also signed an agreement with the commission to enhance cooperation in the field of energy efficiency.

Both the countries have ambitous energy efficiency programmes for energy intensive sectors and the agreement will provide an opportunity to learn from each other’s experience.

Thousands of kilometers away at Doha in Qatar, India and China are working in tandem to ensure second commitment period to existing climate treaty Kyoto Protocol, which expires by end of this year.

“Both of us are sailing in the same boat,” said a senior Indian negotiator, while explaining that how western world led by Euorpean Union was targetting the two countries in name of climate change.

The EU, which has agreed to second commitment period to the protocol unlike other big carbon emitters, wants emerging economies to take some binding emission cuts, a proposal rejected by Basic group of India, China, Brazil and South Africa.

But, India and China are saying that second commitment period of the protocol was part of the package agreed at Durban climate talks in 2011, which included deciding on new climate agreement by 2015 to be implemented from 2020.

“All countries have to understand this delicate balanace at Doha,” a senior Indian negotiator said.

Future of Kyoto has two options. A commitment period of five years as suggested by European Union or eight years as suggested by emerging economies including India and China.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chetan Chauhan
Chetan Chauhan is the National Affairs Editor looking into all aspects of news and features from across India. A Chevening scholar with over three decades of experience in reporting and news management, Chetan has extensively covered all important aspects of the social sector, political economy, environment and climate change nationally and internationally. He did a journalism course at the Reuters Institute of Journalism in Oxford and Digital Media training at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He started as a reporter with The Statesman in 1996 and joined the Hindustan Times in 2000 in the metro bureau covering environment, crime and Delhi politics. He covered hot local news, from the Jessica Lal murder case to the rebellion of Delhi Congress MLAs against then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, to the replacement of toxic vehicle fuel with cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG) in the national capital. Some of his stories on air pollution became part of the Supreme Court’s landmark MC Mehta versus Government of India case in the National Capital Region (NCR), forcing the government to take corrective measures. As part of the national political bureau since 2004, he covered important central sectors such as environment, education, social justice, labour, rural development, water resources, renewable energy, agriculture, broadcasting and the Planning Commission for more than a decade producing several exclusive and investigative breaking stories. His specialisation is the environment, having covered at least a dozen United Nations global conferences on climate change, biodiversity and wildlife including climate summits in Paris, Copenhagen and Bali. He also covered India’s two five-year plans ---11th and 12th and reported on drafting and execution of right based laws such as Right to Education, Right to Information and rural job guarantee law, MG-NREGA, now being introduced in new format as VG-RAM-G Act. He has in-depth knowledge of social sector issues. He was one of the first to report on tigers vanishing from Sariska and Panna wildlife reserves in 2004 and 2008, respectively, leading to the setting up of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the introduction of stringent penal provisions for poaching. He has written extensively on the rising human-animal conflict in India and the degradation of India’s biodiversity hotspots because of mining and other activities. Since 2004, Chetan has covered Parliament comprehensively and participated in training on the nuanced coverage of Parliament proceedings. He has travelled extensively across India to cover national and provincial elections since 1998, especially in the Hindi heartland states, considered India’s road to power. He writes a regular column for Hindustan Times, Ecostani, on important national politics, economy, Himalayan ecology and environmental issues. His other responsibilities include providing inputs for edits and edit page articles for the publication, apart from managing news flow from across India.Read More

Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crickit, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Infographics & much more. Explore now!

Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.