Background

Since the Industrial Revolution, as the world became excessively dependant on fossil fuels for energy, emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) have increased dramatically. The concentration of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, for instance, has gone up by 31 per cent since 1750. These gases trap heat, thus leading to ‘global warming’. In the 20th century, the earth’s temperature increased by about 0.6oC due to increasing concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere. It is expected to increase by another 1.4-5.8oC by the end of the 21st century.

EU peeved as CoP-8 draft does not mention Kyoto Protocol

NEW DELHI, October 29: The European Union (EU) came out strongly against the first draft of the Delhi Declaration at the UNFCCC climate convention in New Delhi on Monday, October 28, as it does not mention the Kyoto Protocol on reducing global warming. The accord aims at cutting greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries to 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. The United States, the biggest air polluter in the world, has already refused to ratify it, arguing that it would hurt the country’s economy.

India should not support the Copenhagen Accord, says CSE

New Delhi, January 8, 2010: India should not sign and endorse the Copenhagen Agreement, says CSE. The Accord is an extremely weak document, which deliberately forgives industrialised countries’ historical responsibility for climate change and worse, is designed for meaningless and ineffective action to curb global warming.