India has established one of the worlds largest forest-protection funds and plans to set up a regulatory body modeled on the US Environmental Protection Agency in an effort to improve its dismal environmental track record. The move comes even as the country resists firm caps on carbon emissions.
The 2,5 billion US dollar (henved 13 milliarder DKR) fund will be earmarked for the regeneration and management of forests, which have been identified by researchers as an important means of reducing carbon emissions, said Jairam Ramesh, Indias minister of state for environment and forests, on Thursday.
Indias government also sought parliamentary approval for the creation of other environmental institutions, including “green courts” aimed at resolving cases long stuck in the overburdened judicial system.
The green courts, which have received cabinet approval, would have the authority to address all issues concerning forestry and the environment. They would have civil powers allowing them to impose fines and jail sentences.
In related news, Ramesh reiterated Indias desire to reach a global agreement at the upcoming UN summit in Copenhagen, but said it was “unfair” to blame developing countries for high carbon emissions when rich nations had failed to fulfill their obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.
The government has come under criticism for its consistent opposition to binding emission cuts in a new climate treaty.
India prides itself on having low per capita emissions – the average Indian produces one ton of carbon dioxide per year to the average Americans 20 tons – and has pledged not to let those rates exceed those of developed nations.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
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