With India and US committing to ramp up their efforts to combat climate change through a number of measures, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday moved a step forward while accommodating US president Barack Obama’s demand to discuss the contentious issue of hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs) and find ways to eventually phase-down this climate-damaging refrigerant.
India, which had been resisting discussion on the issue despite forming a joint task-force on the refrigerant, agreed to call its meeting soon to discuss “safety, cost and commercial access to new or alternative technologies to replace HFCs”.
Officials who have been following the development here, however, made it clear that the discussion should not be interpreted as dilution of the country’s stand. They said India would discuss it to find out effectiveness of available alternatives that may take care of domestic industry as well as consumers’ interests.
“India will not phase down HFCs, used in fridges and air-conditioners, until it gets access to technologically feasible (safe) and economically viable (cost-effective) alternative”, said an official.
Even the Indo-US joint statement, issued after Modi-Obama meet in Washington, recalled India’s stated position over the issue. Both the leaders recognized the need to use the institutions and expertise of the Montreal Protocol to reduce “consumption and production of HFCs” while continuing “to report and account for the quantities reduced” under the UNFCCC which put the onus of phasing down the climate-damaging gases on rich nations.
Since HFC is not the ozone depleting substance, India never agreed for its “reporting” and “accounting” under the Montreal Protocol which is uniformly applied for all countries.
The decision to call the meeting of task-force has, however, been interpreted quite positively in US. Referring to the joint statement Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD), told TOI: “The phase down of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol is the biggest, fastest and most secure climate mitigation available in the near term through 2020. The announcement shows that Prime Minister Modi and President Obama see the potential and are moving forward to capture it”.
The US, on its part, will help India build nuclear power plants through civil nuclear cooperation agreement, increase support for renewable energy through sharing cost-effective technology and boost capacity for adapting to climate change.
The joint statement enlisted many such measures. It includes providing for up to $1 billion in helping India’s transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient energy economy, launching a new US-India ‘Partnership for Climate Resilience’ to advance capacity for climate adaptation planning and a new programme of work on air quality aimed at delivering benefits for climate change and human health.
Both the countries also agreed for a new US-India ‘Climate Fellowship Program’ to build long-term capacity to address climate change-related issues in both countries and to “explore opportunities for collaboration on national parks and wildlife conservation”.
