Shri Namo Narain Meena, Minister of State for Environment & Forests,
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to New Delhi for this 2nd Ministerial meeting of the Asia Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate. Your presence demonstrates the importance of this Partnership in addressing the crucial issue of clean
development and climate for all our countries.
I am also delighted to welcome Canada into our fold. Their request for membership underscores the credibility that this Partnership has attained.
Excellencies,
I am very happy to note that this Partnership has come a long way since the first meeting in Sydney in January 2006. The Partnership advances clean development and climate objectives, while recognizing the urgent and overriding priority of development. It seeks
enhanced co-operation to meet both increased energy needs and associated challenges in accordance with national circumstances. Adaptation is the critical imperative for developing countries. For this we require technological and financial resources that can
only come through accelerated economic and social development. Development is, in fact, the sine qua non for adaptation.
The world is seized today with the issue of Climate Change. There are many initiatives being taken to look at different and probably innovative ways to address this challenge. While all these efforts are laudable, there is near unanimity that the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change is the only framework for negotiations. This was also reaffirmed at the Major Economies Meeting called by President Bush in Washington recently. Our efforts here in this Partnership are consistent with the principles
of the UNFCCC and complement the Kyoto Protocol.
Excellencies,
Improvement in human development requires increased energy consumption. To meet our national development goals, India needs to sustain an 8% to 10% economic growth rate for which we need to increase our per-capita energy consumption. Our per capita consumption
of energy at present is only 530 kgoe of primary energy compared to a world average of 1770 kgoe and nearly half of our citizens do not have access to electricity. As we endeavor to increase our energy consumption to empower our people, we ensure, through
our national policies that the means are sustainable and include use of market mechanisms and relevant technology along-with promotion of energy efficiency and conservation.
In 2001 we enacted the Energy Conservation Act and followed it up with the Electricity Act of 2003. This Act mandates the procurement of electricity from renewables by all distribution companies. This has provided a major fillip to the wind-energy sector in
India. We now have about 7,000 MW of installed wind-power, the fourth-largest wind generating electricity capacity in the world.
We have also been making many other clean development efforts, including introduction of CNG for public and private transport in metropolitan areas, introduction of metro rail and introduction of a major bio-diesel program and blending of ethanol in petrol.
We have managed the demand side through targeted interventions. As a result, we have raised energy efficiency in all the major energy intensive sectors – steel, aluminium, fertilizer, paper and cement. We propose to make available Compact Fluorescent Lamps
at the price of normal incandescent bulbs. We have also just launched one of the world’s largest afforestation efforts in recent times, called Green India, covering six million hectares of degraded forest land.
Excellencies,
Technology is recognized as a fundamental transformation agent in being able to ensure Clean Development and in tackling Climate Change. This is all the more so for developing countries, where there is a large reliance on fossil fuels. It is our hope that this
Partnership will ensure that we collaborate to develop, deploy and disseminate appropriate and advanced clean technologies.
Here I would like to mention that we have observed that there is very little R&D effort on technologies that respond to the requirements and resource endowments of developing countries. This should be remedied. Our suggestion is for collaborative R&D between
developing and developed country R&D institutions.
In this context, we also need to be mindful of creating a fairer balance between rewards for the innovators and the need to ensure the common good of humankind as far as the IPR regime is concerned. Standards and priorities should reflect the developmental
context to which they apply.
Excellencies,
We, the six countries, now seven, in the Asia-Pacific Partnership have achieved a lot in a very short time and can be proud of our achievement. This has been the result of strong bilateral and partnership co-operation between member countries. A unique facet
of the APP has been strong inter-Ministerial and inter-agency cooperation within and between Governments.
Our industries, including from the private sectors, and environment institutions, have also been most active in supporting the APP and have played a stellar role in fostering the Partnership. I am glad that the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry
and the Confederation of Indian Industry are active in promoting the APP. They have come together to organize an industry event later today and I would like to thank them for the same.
I would also like to express specific appreciation for the eight Task Forces, especially the Chairs and the Co-Chairs, for their excellent and very comprehensive work. I am particularly happy that India was able to co-chair the Coal and Steel
Task Forces. It is heartening to see that over 100 projects have been identified and that many of them are in the process of being implemented. Our meeting today would be endorsing the Flagship projects. These flagship projects would demonstrate the importance
and magnitude of what we are trying to achieve and reflect the vision and objectives of the partnership.
And, before I end, I must express gratitude for the work of the Programme & Implementation Committee and the Administrative Support Group in guiding the APP and also for arranging today’s meeting.
Excellencies,
Our ultimate aim is to ensure sustainable and clean development while ensuring energy security and economic growth. I am sure that the APP will contribute to these goals which we all share.
Thank You.
