US offers India energy incentives on climate change
Updated
The US and India have also announced more talks on greater economic cooperation. It was just last week that US President Obama went over the same ground with China's leaders. So closer ties with India will take into consideration America's blossoming relationship with China.
Presenter: Sen Lam
Speaker: Dr Toufiq Saddiqi, adjunct senior fellow, East West Center, Hawaii
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SADDIQI: I think we need to keep in mind that India's total emissions of carbon dioxide, which is the major climate change gas, are still relatively small compared to those of the United States. And in terms of like-areas of cooperation, the need to use energy much more efficiently would rank very high as well as the ability of both countries to use renewable energy, such as wind power and solar energy. India's already been one of the leading countries in installing wind power as a source of energy, and especially in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, and it's also got a very active development program for renewable energies.
LAM: Well both sides of course were quite tight lipped about what was discussed but if you had to hazard a guess which area do you think India and the US and indeed the leaders of both countries, which area might they focus on in terms of climate change?
SADDIQI: My guess would be that improving energy efficiency particularly using coal, which is the major source of energy in India, would be high on that list, as well as cooperation in the fields of solar energy.
LAM: And of course India and the United States last year signed a civilian nuclear cooperation accord. Do you think that accord in some ways had fostered a greater mutual confidence?
SADDIQI: I think so; I think that is a very popular accord at least amongst the well educated population of India. Neither in India nor the United States was it unanimously endorsed by everyone, but it laid the basis for indicating to India that it is accepted as a major country by the United States and that solar and nuclear power could be a major way in which we could address the challenge of climate change.
LAM: Well President Obama last week of course visited Beijing and held high-level talks with Chinese leaders, and while the US may be building a relationship with the Asian power China, do you think it's also, that Washington also has a feeling that it needs to keep India close despite that relationship with China? Is that your reading of the situation?
SADDIQI: Yes it is. I think it's not a zero sum game, we're moving from an era of perhaps a unipolar world to one with many poles, and both India and China would be two large and prominent countries in the world of the 21st century. So I think it's imperative that the United States have good relations with both China, India, as well as other large economies such as those of western Europe and Russia.
LAM: Well although the one relationship might not be to the exclusion of the other, do you think nonetheless that Beijing might be watching Mr Singh's visit with some interest?
SADDIQI: I'm sure they are watching it with interest but India watched with great interest the President's visit to China.
