Asia-Pacific

New Delhi anticipates climate agreement with Beijing

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-22 09:09

NEW DELHI - Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said an agreement with China for glaciological studies would be finalized in two weeks.

"Shrinking glaciers is a big area of cooperation," Ramesh said. "When I went to China in September, we almost had an agreement. And in the next couple of weeks, I am sure we will have the agreement on cooperation in the field of glaciology."

The minister said the issue of Himalayan glaciers receding at an alarming pace cannot be addressed if the two countries didn't join hands.

"India cannot come to grips with what is happening in its glacial eco-system without getting China in on a larger program based on cooperation. At some stage Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan (all countries in the Himalayan belt) will also form a part of it; but China is more important. All this has great impetus because we have had cooperation in the area of climate change," he said.

Ramesh was speaking at the Asian Corporate Conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), where he also mentioned that thanks to hiked investments in green technology, India could cut emission intensity by more than the promised 20-25 percent.

The minister, however, justified this as "what international politics is all about".

"For me the partnership with China goes beyond climate change. It is a strategic message."

Indo -Asian News Service