UN supports India's climate policy stand

The United Nations has come out in support of India's stand of not putting a specific limit on its greenhouse gas emissions asserting that such a cap was not "realistic" and may hamper its economic growth.

The United Nations has come out in support of India's stand of not putting a specific limit on its greenhouse gas emissions asserting that such a cap was not "realistic" and may hamper its economic growth.

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"I don't think its possible for developing countries like China and India to cut emissions or say reduce emissions, it is not realistic," Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC) told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday.

However, he said when the next UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) would meet in Copenhagen this December to finalise a new climate change policy, developing countries are expected to bring out proposals to restrict emissions.

"It is feasible and essential that developing countries come forward with ideas to limit their emissions provided international finance is made available for that. Because the bottomline is that if it increases poverty or slows economic growth, it is not a good proposal," he added.

As the deadline for Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012, the Copenhagen meet is expected to finalise a treaty to tackle the issues of climate change. There has been a stalemate in negotiations as some industrialised countries want developing nations to define a limit on their greenhouse gas emissions.