Times of India , Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Correspondent : Chidanand Rajghatta

WASHINGTON: Any expectations that a John McCain presidency will mean a seamless transition in US-India ties with a revival of the Bush-driven civilian nuclear deal will have to be tempered by a tough warning he issued on Monday that India and China will be held to "international standards" on emissions with a possible risk of sanctions if they did not meet them. In a speech that marked a significant departure from the Bush line on global warming and also contained the seeds of a potential showdown with China and India, McCain described the two countries as "among the greatest contributors to global warming today" and said they would have to share the burden with the industrialized countries in reducing emission. "Shared dangers mean shared duties, and global problems require global cooperation. The United States and our friends in Europe cannot alone deal with the threat of global warming. No nation should be exempted from its obligations," McCain said, in an address on climate change his team touted as a radical departure from the Bush "inaction" of the past eight years. "And least of all should we make exceptions for the very countries that are accelerating carbon emissions while the rest of us seek to reduce emissions. If we are going to establish meaningful environmental protocols, then they must include the two nations that have the potential to pollute the air faster, and in greater annual volume, than any nation ever in history," he added in a reference to India and China. McCain did not provide any numbers in the speech but, as with the grain consumption controversy, India's role in aggravating the problem seemed vastly exaggerated. India's carbon dioxide emissions in 2007 were 1165 million metric tons (5th in the world), compared to China, which with 5322 million metric tons had almost caught up with the US, the world's biggest polluter with 5956 million metric tons. Per capita calculations would put the US even further ahead.

SOURCE : Times of India, Wednesday, 14 May 2008