CHENNAI: The urgent need for countries to sink their differences and evolve a concerted response to global warming and climate management was underscored by participants at a seminar here on Tuesday.
As important stakeholders, every nation should formulate action-plans to reduce carbon emissions keeping in mind the larger interests of humankind, according to participants at a discussion hosted by the Indo Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IJCCI).
Sergey V. Soloviev, acting Consul General, Consulate-General of the Russian Federation in Chennai, said Russia appreciated India's position on a differentiated roadmap for climate management that did not compromise its growth aspirations.
As a rapidly developing country, India depended on consumption of energy resources and Russian sympathy for India's stand on the issue were in no small measure due to the history of friendly bilateral ties, he said. Russia would continue to support India which it regarded as the best ally in Asia, Mr. Soloviev said.
Takayuki Kitagawa, Deputy Consul General of Japan in Chennai, said it was high time that countries that attained development on the capitalist mode of mass production and mass consumption evolved better means of raising standards of living without diluting the growth objective.
He underlined the need for countries to narrow the divergence of opinion on climate management and frame response plans to address global warming.
D.S. Rajan, Director, Chennai Centre for Chinese Studies, said China's challenge was to strike a balance between its commitment as a developed nation to proactively mitigate climate change and sustaining its rapid growth without hindrance.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, the Bali roadmap and the advocacy of a common but differentiated responsibility to carbon targets formed the pillars of China's approach to climate management, he said.
Former Supreme Court Judge S. Mohan said nations should not lose sight of the larger interests of humankind.
Countries should reach an understanding, even if it was not always the perfect agreement, on addressing the issue, he said.
N. Krishnaswami, IJCCI president, said it was imperative for nations to move away from the blame-game to set a roadmap to a shared goal of a safer planet.
