As a co-member of the Asia-Pacific Partnership (APP), the US wants India to reduce its tariffs on imported environmental goods and services from the current 15% to allow free flow of technology to reduce green house gases (GHG) emission. Addressing a workshop organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on the APP on Clean Development and Climate, The White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairman James L. Connaughton said that technology has helped keep GHG emissions low.
Citing the experience of the US, Connaughton highlighted the importance of technology to improve efficiencies and reduce GHG emissions to over just 1.7% even though the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.2% in 2003-04 and the US had only a 3-8% tariff for such goods and services.
The APP is a grouping of six countries in the Asia-Pacific Region that includes India, US, Australia, China, Japan, and South Korea aimed at finding
ways to reduce GHG intensity. Differing from the Kyoto protocol, this group seeks to achieve highest economical growth with least energy usage disavowing policies that may hamper economic growth, transfer pollution between regions, and stop investments required to reduce pollution. India justifies its non-participation in Kyoto by asserting that this forum collaborates and exchanges technologies and methodologies and complements the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCC).
India and the US are also participating in many efficient energy programs to develop
futuristic power generation programs and think that the use of nuclear energy. To enable India’s participation, the
US has initiated the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal where India will be allowed access to nuclear fuel for power generation purposes and outside the ambit of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
While these new technologies create a way for the future, India will continue to rely on coal for power generation but newer technologies could be used to minimize GHC from this method of power generation.
