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RR RUEHAST RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHTM
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2465
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RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 3161
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RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 001818 
 
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STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/STC, OES/SAT, OES/EGC, AND SCA/INS 
STATE FOR STAS 
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STATE FOR SCA, OES (STAS FEDOROFF), OES/PCI STEWART; OES/IHA SINGER 
PASS TO HHS/OGHA (STEIGER/HICKEY), CDC (BLOUNT/FARRELL), NIH/FIC 
(GLASS/MAMPILLY), FDA (LUMPKIN/WELSCH, GENEVA FOR HOFMAN) 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO SENV AMED CASC KSCA ECON ETRD BEXP EINV PGOV
TSPL, TRGY, TNGD, EIND, ENRG, KGHG, IN 
 
SUBJECT: INDIA UNVEILS ITS NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE 
 
REF A:  New Delhi 1667 
REF B:  New Delhi 1678 
 
NEW DELHI 00001818  001.6 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  Summary.  A week before the G-8 Summit in Japan, India's Prime 
Minister (PM) and Union Minister of Environment and Forests (MOEF) 
Dr. Manmohan Singh launched the National Action Plan on Climate 
Change (NAPCC) on June 30, 2008 in New Delhi. The plan has been 
eagerly awaited by environmental activists, scientists and industry 
not only at home but also abroad as India along with China is one of 
the countries whose growth is powered mainly by fossil fuels, which 
are a major cause of the increase in carbon emissions into the 
atmosphere. The plan has been divided into eight national missions, 
which are related to solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, 
sustainable habitat, conservation of water, sustaining the Himalayan 
eco-system, creating a green India, sustainable agriculture and 
creation of strategic knowledge platform for climate change.  Solar 
energy has received special emphasis.  As expected, the plan does 
not talk about emission caps except that India will not exceed the 
per capita emissions of developed nations.  The document also states 
that India will engage actively in multilateral negotiations under 
the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 
Change (UNFCCC) in a positive, constructive and forward-looking 
manner. 
 
PLAN HIGHLIGHTS 
--------------- 
 
¶2.  While releasing the Plan on June 30, PM Singh said climate 
change was a global challenge and it could be met through a global, 
collaborative and cooperative effort and India is prepared to play 
its role as a responsible member of the international community and 
makes its own contribution.  "India is already doing so in the 
multilateral negotiations taking place under the UNFCCC and the 
outcome we are looking for must be effective, fair and equitable," 
Dr. Singh said. Every citizen on the planet must have an equal share 
of the planetary atmospheric space. Long-term convergence of per 
capita emission was, therefore, the only equitable basis for a 
global compact on climate change. The plan recognizes that there is 
a tradeoff between carbon emissions and economic growth that India 
has to be careful about accepting. There is also an acceptance that 
India has a responsibility to try and mitigate climate change - but 
not at the cost of poverty alleviation. 
 
SEVERAL MINISTRIES AND GROUPS CONTRIBUTED TO THE PLAN 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3.  Several senior cabinet colleagues and experts were present 
during the launch, including Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, Power 
Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, MOEF Minister of State Mr. Namo Narain 
Meena, Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister Dr. R. Chidambaram, 
Special Envoy of the Prime Minister for Climate Change, Mr. Shyam 
Saran and Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission Montek Singh 
Ahluwalia. 
 
¶4.  The work on the Plan was started in 2007, when the fourth 
assessment report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 
Change (IPCC), headed by Dr R.K. Pachauri, made it clear in no 
uncertain terms that drastic and urgent measures must be taken to 
arrest the climate change caused by global warming due to human 
activities. A high-level Council on Climate Change headed by the 
Prime Minister was set up to draw up the country's strategy to meet 
the challenge of both mitigation and adaptation to the inevitable 
climate change. The NAPCC is a result of a joint effort of several 
ministries and experts.  PM Singh acknowledged the contributions of 
 
NEW DELHI 00001818  002.6 OF 003 
 
 
the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change, and in particular 
Mr. Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science & Technology, Dr. Chidambaram, 
and Mr. Shyam Saran, who oversaw the final drafting of the Plan. The 
MOEF played an important coordination role under the leadership of 
Mr. Namo Narain Meena (Reftel A). Contributions were also made by 
the Ministries of Power, New and Renewable Energy, the Planning 
Commission and The Energy Research Institute (TERI). 
 
PLAN SUBJECT OF CONSIDERABLE INTERNAL DEBATE 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  According to several reports, the release of the Plan was 
earlier stalled, with the PM's Council on Climate Change debating 
how much of the country's international stance should be 
incorporated in the document. Some had suggested that the plan 
should be looked upon as a purely domestic document while others 
were keen to ensure that the domestic plan be written in the context 
of the global negotiations that seek to reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions. The latter group seems to have got its point across more 
emphatically in the final version.  The U.S. has suggested that 
India's domestic action plan become the basis for its international 
commitments (Reftel B). 
 
SEVERAL GROUPS AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS CONCERNED OVER LACK OF 
TRANSPARENCY 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶6.  As reported in the Hindu on July 1, 2008, 27 civil society 
groups and environmentalists, in an open letter addressed to the 
Prime Minister, expressed disappointment over the lack of 
transparency in the preparation of the Plan, a critical policy 
document.  No information was shared on the draft plan and there had 
been no process of consultation with civil society or independent 
scientists, researchers and experts. 
 
¶7.  "Any major policy defining process has always been open to 
public debate and consultation. Climate change will define the 
future of our country's people, environment and economy. Any policy 
document that intends to govern the manner in which India addresses 
this issue should be given adequate space and time for public 
debate. Such transparency and consultation will also be in keeping 
with the avowed principles of your government," it said.  The letter 
demanded that the draft plan be opened up for public debate, this 
matter be discussed widely with all stakeholders and a process for 
regional public consultations be set in place. This will ensure that 
the resulting document reflects the broader views of the Indian 
people, and not a few highly placed officials or experts. 
 
¶8.  The PM in his remarks did, however, mention that the Plan is 
expected to be the subject of national debate and will evolve and 
improve through a much wider interaction. 
 
PLAN DELINEATES EIGHT NATIONAL MISSIONS 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  With projected changes in climate and predictions associated 
with climate change in terms of loss to agriculture, forest, spurt 
in diseases and degradation of ecosystem, the Plan has identified 
eight national missions in sectors like solar energy, enhanced 
energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, conservation of water, 
sustaining the Himalayan eco-system, creating a green India, 
sustainable agriculture and creation of a strategic knowledge 
platform for climate change. The plan has also emphasized public 
awareness and if needed, legislation at the Central and state levels 
 
NEW DELHI 00001818  003.6 OF 003 
 
 
"to arrive at appropriate delegation of responsibility and authority 
for meeting some of the goals". 
 
¶10.  These national missions will be institutionalized by their 
respective ministries and will be organized through inter-sectoral 
groups. Each mission will be tasked to evolve specific objectives 
spanning the remaining years of the 11th Five-Year Plan and the 12th 
Five-Year Plan period. 
Comprehensive mission documents detailing objectives, strategies, 
plan of action, timeliness and monitoring evaluation criteria would 
be developed and submitted to the Prime Minister's Council on 
Climate Change by December 2008. The Council will also periodically 
review the progress of these missions. 
 
PUSH FOR SOLAR ENERGY 
--------------------- 
 
¶11.  Out of the eight missions, the emphasis on solar energy is 
bound to generate the most excitement as the solar power sector has 
been lagging behind even as the wind power segment of the renewable 
power portfolio got a boost. "Now the solar sector will, primarily 
based on private sector investments, create 1000 MW of power 
generation capacity by the end of the 12th plan period (2017)," said 
Mr. V. Subramanium, New and Renewable Energy Sources Secretary.  The 
solar mission will be launched to significantly increase the share 
of solar power in the total energy mix while recognizing the need 
for expanding the scope of other renewable and non-fossil options 
such as nuclear energy, wind energy and biomass. 
 
¶12.  Besides the push for solar energy, the Plan also suggests 
making it mandatory for power grids to purchase renewable energy 
from producers and sets up progressive targets to do so over the 
coming years. While the move towards solar and solar derivatives is 
bound to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, the plan also puts 
as much emphasis on demand side management - reducing consumption 
levels in both industry and housing sectors. The government 
envisages saving 10,000 MW by 2012 through energy efficiency 
measures. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶13.  PM Singh concluded the unveiling ceremony of the Plan by 
recalling Mahatma Gandhi's sagacious message not only to the people 
of India, but to the world at large: The Earth has enough resources 
to meet the needs of all people, but will never have enough to serve 
their greed. This is the spirit which must underlie any strategy for 
sustainable development.  Simultaneously, the Plan gives a clear 
signal that India will not budge from its position in the 
international arena that while taking voluntary steps at the 
domestic level, it will continue to fight for an equitable global 
compact that demands greater and mandatory emission cuts from 
developed countries. 
 
DAVISON