'We have not used any carbon space'

India will push for an atmospheric space that can be equally partitioned with various countries via a global carbon budget during the next six months in the run up to the climate change conference at Cancun later this year.

“India will be the biggest beneficiary with a carbon budget because the country has been slow in its growth,” said Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.

“We are a creditor, not a debtor. We have not used carbon space like the developing countries.”

On Monday, Ramesh was in the city for a conference on global carbon budgets at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar. Organised by the Institute’s Centre for Science, Technology and Society, School of Habitat Studies, the conference delved on various approaches to a carbon budget that could be used during upcoming negotiations.

“India cannot and will not accept any international agreement which does not have its foundation, principles of ‘Equity' and ‘Equitable Access to Global Atmospheric Space’. But the challenge is to operationalise what it means in terms of technology and finance,” said Ramesh.

“Our strategy must be based on both per capita emission principle along with per capita income, constituent elements of equity strategy.”

TISS Professor T Jayaraman presented his paper on Global Carbon budgets and burden sharing regimes that will be taken for debate for the next two days. Using 1970 — not 1850 — as the emission base for his study, Jayaraman’s paper points that two-third emissions have been by developed countries.

“The main concern is the right of all human to equal amount of global atmospheric space. However, we will have to study how space has to be shared,” said Jayaraman.

As for the conference in Cancun, Ramesh said he was not very optimistic of a global agreement.

“There might only be some side agreements,” said Ramesh adding that developed countries have not fulfilled their financial pledge of $30 billion from 2010-2012.

“So far they have not exceeded $ 6 billion.”