Milliband Names India As Key Player For Copenhagen

British Climate Change Secretary, Ed Milliband, told media outlets that India would be a key player at the UN Climate Talks in Copenhagen. The Copenhagen talks are expected to churn out an international treaty proposing regulations to combat climate change.

Milliband said that India would not be affected by new regulations because the country was already making climate change issues a top priority. Indian currently harnesses 8 percent of their total electricity supply from renewable sources, such as solar energy. British officials, including Development Secretary Douglas Alexander have stated that India will most likely not require renewable energy goals for 2020, the year the UK expects to become partially reliant on renewables, because the country is already moving quickly towards those goals already.

India is on track to have 20,000 MW of solar energy by 2020, and has also announced plans to make fuel efficiency mandates for all vehicles made after 2011. The country has begun taking an aggressive stance towards climate change, and is considered to be a key player for the Copenhagen talks in December.

The Minister of India has said that India’s greenhouse gas emissions in 20 years will still be lower than the global greenhouse output 25 years ago. The Indian government recently released the results of a study of India’s greenhouse gas emissions ratings. The study found that India will be emitting anywhere from 2.8 to 5.0 tonnes of greenhouse gases per person by 2031. 

Milliband is reportedly satisfied with India’s report findings, and believes that negotiations are in order with India and China, some of the largest producers of climate changing agents. Milliband has said that the talks in Copenhagen will most likely center around issues behind global emissions peaking after the year 2020.

Other issues expected to be raised include carbon capture and storage technology which has been gaining popularity in the UK, but which the Indian government says they are hesistant to embrace, as the equipment can be costly.