by Petra Rooijakkers from Delhi, India
With the global conference on climate change in Copenhagen less than two months away, South Asia is gearing up for the negotiations. Climate change seems to be much more part of the public debate than in developed countries, with newspapers reporting on the issue almost every day. This is not surprising, as the effects of climate change are felt much more strongly here than in developing countries. Only last week, floods in Karnataka and Andra Pradesh in the south of India have left many homeless, and crops destroyed. With rainfall up to 600 percent higher than normal, this extreme weather could easily be attributed to climate change.

Does this mean countries in South Asia need to pull their weight and, like the developed countries, accept targets that lead to reduced emissions? After all, these countries are to a large extent agriculture societies, and agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In 2005, the agriculture sector was responsible for 16 percent of the world's emissions, according to the World Resources Institute. But when we look at emissions per nation, a different picture emerges: the United States is responsible for 20.9 percent of the global share of CO2 emissions, and India for 4.6 percent. One citizen in the US is responsible for emissions as large as the emissions of 107 Bangladeshi. Knowing this, how fair is it to ask the developing countries to also reduce their emissions? A representative from the Indian government, present at a conference on climate change in South Asia, in Delhi, India, last week, was very clear on the issue: it is not, and India will not allow it.

J.M. Mauskar, additional secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, could not have made his point more strongly: "India cannot and will not take on emission targets. Poverty reduction and social and economic development are the first and over riding priorities."
Member of the Bangladeshi parliament, A.S.M. Feroz, also present t the conference, spoke along the same lines. As the industrialized countries are largely responsible for the changes in the climate, they need to compensate those countries where the effects of climate change are felt most: "We don't want assistance, we want compensation. Agreements should be made on the basis of the 'Polluter Pays Principle'."
According to Mr. Mauskar, adaptation is the goal for developing countries, not mitigation. It must be supported by sufficient financial resources and transfer of technology: "Developed countries must take ambitious targets post-2012 and deliver on them," he said, "but the developed countries are not putting any meaningful figures on the table. Developed countries, please decide what you want to do."

The online edition of The New Nation, a Bangladeshi newspaper, has posted a news item on the recommendations made at the end of the conference ‘The Climate Crisis ­– People’s Potential and Needs for Adaptation and Mitigation.
J.M. Mauskar (left) and A.S.M. Feroz (middle) were both very outspoken on whether developing countries should accept reduced emission targets: "We cannot and we will not," they said.