VZCZCXRO2821
OO RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHMA
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DE RUEHNE #2550/01 3561354
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 221354Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9004
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
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RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002550 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/EGC, SCA/INSB, EEB/ESC/IEC and EEB/TPP/BTA 
STATE FOR SECC TODD STERN 
DEPT OF ENERGY FOR TCUTLER, CGILLESPIE, MGINSBERG 
TREASURY FOR DAS PIZER AND OFFICE OF SOUTH ASIA MNUGENT 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/OSA/LDROKER/ASTERN/KRUDD 
DEPT PASS TO USTR MDELANEY/CLILIENFELD/AADLER 
TREASURY PASS TO FRB SAN FRANCISCO/TERESA CURRAN 
USDA PASS FAS/OCRA/RADLER/BEAN/FERUS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: SENV ENRG ETRD TSPL TRGY KSCA KGHG IN
 
SUBJECT:  ENVIRONMENT MINISTER DEFENDS COPENHAGEN ACCORD; LOCAL NGOS 
VITRIOLIC 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 2441 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam 
Ramesh claimed victory for India's Copenhagen negotiating team in a 
parliamentary session December 22.  Ramesh used his response to 
opposition attacks to sensitize the nation to the idea India needs 
to realize its responsibilities as an emerging power.  Ramesh said 
India's emissions should peak no later than 2100, that it should not 
demand no-cost technology transfer but rather sell clean tech to the 
rest of the world, and that it had nothing to fear from 
international consultation and analysis of its domestic mitigation 
actions.  While the GOI congratulates itself on the Copenhagen 
Accord, local NGOs are condemning it in the strongest possible 
terms.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Minister Ramesh, with Prime Minister Singh in attendance, 
defended the Copenhagen Accord in the upper house of India's 
parliament in a two and a half hour question and answer session 
December 22.  He said India was "entirely successful" in its 
negotiation strategy as there was no dilution of either the Bali 
Action Plan or the Kyoto Protocol, India was not required to agree 
on a year in which its emissions would peak, and it avoided any 
legally binding emission commitments, including a long-term global 
goal of reducing emissions 50 percent by 2050.  Ramesh stated the 
Copenhagen Accord was fully consistent with PM Singh's 2008 
commitment that India's emissions would never exceed those of the 
developed world on a per capita basis and that "India's access to 
global atmospheric resources was not limited but assured." 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Ramesh was attacked by the opposition who stated the GOI 
had "been outwitted" by the developed world.  Bharatiya Janata Party 
(BJP) and left parliamentarians claimed the Copenhagen Accord 
derailed the Bali Action Plan, was an "implied abrogation" of the 
Kyoto Protocol, accepted the concept of peak emissions, left India 
off the priority list for climate finance and technology transfer, 
and put national sovereignty at risk over the issue of international 
scrutiny of unsupported domestic mitigation actions.  BJP MP Arun 
Jaitley feared the Copenhagen Accord would subject the country to 
international consequences if India falls short of its promised 
mitigation actions. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Ramesh responded stating the Kyoto Protocol and Bali 
Action Plan were "sacrosanct" and would be the basis for all future 
climate negotiations.  He said India had already accepted the 
concept of peak emissions, which was implied in PM Singh's 2008 per 
capita emissions commitment, and that not accepting a stated peak 
year was a major success.  However, Ramesh cautioned that India had 
to realize its emissions must peak no later than 2100 to avoid 
damaging climate change.  On finance, Ramesh gave his personal 
opinion that India doesn't want international aid and should stand 
on its own two feet.  He backed off this statement immediately 
saying international assistance was needed but it was time India 
understood it was not in the same category as countries such as 
Bangladesh, Maldives, Grenada, or African nations.  He made similar 
statements regarding technology transfer saying India should realize 
technology is bought and sold, not given away, and that India should 
be selling green technology to the world. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Ramesh did concede India's agreeing to international 
consultation and analysis of domestic mitigation actions was a shift 
in policy but that he had signaled the possibility in his statement 
to the lower house of parliament December 3 (Reftel).  He said the 
shift was necessary because the United States delegation had told 
the world there would be no financing without transparency and after 
that, representatives of Bangladesh and the Maldives approached him 
questioning India's stance against international scrutiny of 
domestic mitigation actions.  He defended the shift stating the 
consultation and analysis provisions in the accord were similar to 
those found in the World Trade Organization and that India should 
not fear them as they would not be intrusive or erode national 
 
NEW DELHI 00002550  002 OF 002 
 
 
sovereignty. 
 
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LOCAL NGOS NOT HAPPY 
--------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U) The general feeling among Local NGOs is one of 
disappointment and anger at both the GOI and the Copenhagen Accord. 
The Bangalore based Centre for Social Markets likens the accord to 
the 1938 Munich Pact claiming it appeases major emitting nations, 
condemns the world to runaway climate change, and is a declaration 
of war on our children.  The New Delhi based Centre for Science and 
the Environment accuses the GOI of buckling under Western pressure 
and claims the Copenhagen Accord forgives developed countries for 
their historical responsibility, eliminates the distinction between 
developed and developing countries, prevents effective action to 
curb global warming, and fatally undermine efforts to renew the 
Kyoto Protocol saying the accord will be disastrous for the climate 
and for India's most vulnerable communities. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶7.  (SBU) The most telling aspect of Ramesh's performance in 
parliament was what appeared to be a concerted action to nudge the 
country toward eventual acceptance of the greater responsibilities 
of an emerging power in the context of the climate negotiations.  He 
deftly handled the issue of peaking emissions, clearly stated India 
was not in the same category as other developing countries, and with 
Prime Minister Singh sitting silently six feet away, stated India 
did not need to demand technology transfer at low or no cost.  This 
marks a substantial change in India's climate position and takes it 
further from the G-77.  With Special Envoy for Climate Change Shyam 
Saran rumored to be retiring within a month, Ramesh will be left 
firmly in the driver's seat with a host of progressive ideas on the 
road to Mexico City. 
 
ROEMER