Daring to be Different-and Right

The Kyoto Protocol is set to expire in 2012. Key developed countries appear unlikely to sign on to a new serious international agreement to reduce carbon emissions worldwide unless developing countries, many of whom are among the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, are also engaged in the process. Developing countries argue, however, that growth is a priority, and that their emissions per capita are still much lower than in the West. India’s negotiating team at the Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico has shown a way out of this deadlock. Jairam Ramesh’s proposal that, under the right conditions, India would allow verification of, and hard caps on carbon emissions, is a bold move that seeks to induce all other large polluting countries, including China, to agree to submit to a similar regime.