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 Efforts to combat climate change will also figure prominently in
talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack
Obama when the U.S. leader begins a landmark visit to New Delhi this
weekend.
"What India needs is finance ... That is where the importance of the
United States comes in. India will surely be looking for the means
to technology transfer to boost renewable energy," said Krishnan
Pallassana, India director of the Climate Group.
A key objective for Obama is to get a strong joint statement that
gives political direction ahead of global climate talks in Paris in
late 2015, a person familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.
India, the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, plays
an influential role in United Nations talks, often acting as the
voice of the world's developing countries.
"There is a strong desire on the part of the (United States) to keep
a sense of momentum, both within the U.S.-India partnership itself,
as well as in the broader context of engaging key developing
countries ahead of the Paris climate conference," said the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace's David Livingston.
India has resisted pressure to commit to a timeline for capping
emissions after the United States and China agreed in November to
their own "peak year", and is unlikely to agree to any formal
targets now, say experts.
Modi, who has spoken about the dangers posed by climate change, is a
strong believer in the role technology can play in adapting to
global warming. He said this week that the focus must shift to clean
energy and energy efficiency, rather than outright emission cuts.
That reflects the view held by many in Delhi that India must be
allowed to emit more if it is to industrialize and lift more people
out of poverty, particularly as its per capita emissions are less
than half the world average.
The U.S.-India talks will focus on supporting Indian efforts to
electrify the country by boosting emissions-free energy and building
manufacturing capabilities for solar and wind energy, said two
officials familiar with the matter and several climate experts.
India needs $200 billion of investment in renewables by 2022 – half
of it from abroad - to raise its solar power capacity by 33 times to
100 gigawatts and its wind power capacity to 60 GW.
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U.S.-based First Solar and SunEdison Inc are among the renewable
energy companies already active in India, but the market is growing
rapidly.
SHIFT
While activists welcome India's push into renewables many are
worried that, with a continued reliance on coal and a growing
population set to overtake China's by 2030, India's emissions will
jump as the country becomes wealthier.
In UN climate negotiations, India defends the principle of "common
but differentiated responsibility" - the concept that the burden of
emissions reductions and financial assistance for poor countries
should be borne by developed countries.
Modi said on Monday that the focus should shift to "what we have
done for clean energy generation, energy conservation and energy
efficiency, and what more can be done".
"It's harder for India to project how our energy future will unfold.
I think we can do a better job spelling that story out," said Navroz
Dubash, senior fellow at Delhi-based Centre of Policy Research.
"We are quite clear that we do want to bend the curve on carbon but
as part of a development story."
(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in WASHINGTON; Writing by
Tommy Wilkes in NEW DELHI; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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