UPA govt colluding with US, charges CPM

NEW DELHI: CPM has charged the Manmohan Singh government of colluding with the United States in order ���to dilute the Copenhagen outcome.��� This claim comes on the heels of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh���s public reiteration of India���s commitment to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol and Bali Action Plan, similar reiteration by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and clarifications by environment minister Jairam Ramesh.

The CPM Central Committee resolution on climate change has alleged that the government was not seriously countering efforts of the US to undermine the Kyoto Protocol. ���There are clear signs that India is tacitly going along with US efforts to dilute the Copenhagen outcome by emphasising general goals, some unequal technology collaborations and postponing if not abandoning the requisite stiff emission reduction targets for developed countries. The overall trend is towards India collaborating with the US as part of an overall Indo-US strategic partnership,��� the resolution states.

The Left has called on the government to resist pressure from the developed countries to abandon the Kyoto Protocol and UNFCCC, which is based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities for developed and developing countries. According to the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, only developed countries are required to take on legally-binding emission reduction targets. Developing countries are to take on national actions according to their development needs and abilities.

It said that India should along with the G-77 and China continue to demand fund and technology transfers from developed to developing countries as compensation for damage caused by historical emissions, and freeing of technology transfers from IPR restrictions

CPM has suggested that India take up and announce measures for control and reduction of emission rates not unilaterally but only conditional upon the US and other Annex-1 countries undertaking the deep emission cuts.