India, China agree to cooperate on climate change

October 21, 2009 By MUNEEZA NAQVI , Associated Press Writer
India, China agree to cooperate on climate change (AP)

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China's chief climate change official, Xie Zhenhua, right, shakes hands with Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh after signing an agreement during a joint workshop on national action plan on climate change in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009.(AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

(AP) -- India and China, both major polluters and crucial players in fighting global warming, agreed Wednesday to stand together on climate change issues at a major global conference later this year.

The December summit in Copenhagen aims to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the first international deal requiring reductions in emissions of heat-trapping "greenhouse gases" by industrialized countries.

Developing countries argue that the industrial world produced most of the harmful gases in recent decades and should bear the costs of fixing the problem. India and have agreed to work on slowing the growth of , but resist making those limits binding and subject to international monitoring.

"There is no difference between the Indian and Chinese negotiating positions, and we are discussing further what the two countries should be doing for a successful outcome at Copenhagen," Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

Xie Zhenhua, China's top climate change negotiator, said the agreement "will usher in a new scenario and take cooperation on climate change between the two countries to a new high," PTI reported.

The agreement emphasized that the "United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol are the most appropriate framework for addressing climate change," according to a text released by India's Environment Ministry.

The United States rejected the Kyoto Protocol because it exempted developing countries, such as India and China, from obligations. Developing countries also want financial aid for their efforts. The challenge in Copenhagen is finding a way to make a deal.

On Tuesday, India, Pakistan and six other South Asian nations said they will stand together at Copenhagen to stick with the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Wednesday's agreement between India and China comes as a diplomatic dispute continues over the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as its territory since the two nations fought a war in 1962. India rejects Beijing's claim.

The countries have sparred over a proposed visit to the region by the Dalai Lama in mid-November, with China opposing the trip and India's Foreign Ministry saying the Tibetan spiritual leader is free to travel within .

©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Rick69
Oct 21, 2009

Rank: 3.7 / 5 (3)
All the foreign countries of the world realize now that if they all cooperate with each other, they can effectively bring the US down to their level (economically speaking). It appears more and more that Copenhagen will be the means to make this happen. For many of these countries, AGW is just a means to accomplish what they couldn't accomplish through war or growth and competitiveness of their own economies.
bhiestand
Oct 21, 2009

Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
Either this is a huge global conspiracy against us that includes ALL of our allies and our own scientists or... All the countries in the world now recognize that climate change, primarily accelerated by man, is a serious threat to both global security and the global economy.
GrayMouser
Oct 21, 2009

Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
Either this is a huge global conspiracy against us that includes ALL of our allies and our own scientists or...

You just noticed?
Long live the Principia Discordia!
'ware the fnord!
Rank 2.7 /5 (7 votes)
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