Narendra Modi’s second visit to the United States will incorporate critical agendas like India’s permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council, China’s activities in Asia, and the potential of a growing market of internet users. But there’s more that the White House seeks from India when it comes to the country’s contribution towards shared interests of the global community.
Climate talks will be a key agenda ahead of the Modi-Obama talks in New York next week. The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11 this year. White House expects India to adopt a more assertive role to help mitigate climate change.
This year’s climate talks in Paris are being dubbed as the most important ever. The governments of more than 190 nations will come together in Paris later this year to discuss the possibility of a new global agreement on climate change. Emerging economies have a vital role to play and if India were to cut greenhouse gas emissions as per the need of the hour, a lot could be changed.
As per a study, India’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions stands at 8.95%. In comparison to this, China’s contribution is 24.65% and the United States is responsible for 16.16% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While China and India are the two most populous countries in the world, US is ranked at three in the list. But the population of US is merely 4.4% of the global population as compared to China (18.42%) and India (16.64%). This leads to a much higher per capita for the US in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
What environmentalists and the White House seek from India is a substantial statement regarding the future of this planet, and a serious commitment towards the negotiations, which will be put on the table for consideration.
(Featured Image Credit: bloomberg.com)
