Washington, August 28: Noting that India and China need to be part of the solution on climate change, the United States has said that it would like the two Asian giants to make significant investment in the success of a summit on climate change to be held in Copenhagen in December.
“What we want to see from India and China is a significant investment in the Copenhagen process,” the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, P J Crowley, told reporters yesterday at the daily State Department press briefing.
“They have to be part of the solution if we are going to make progress in dealing with greenhouse gases,” Crowley said. He was responding to a question based on an interview given by the Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to an Indian newspaper in which he said that India and China have agreed to work together on the issue of climate change to withstand the pressure from the west.
Crowley said the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during her trip to India and China earlier, had discussions with both the countries on this critical issue of climate change.
“They have got to be invested in this process. They have got to bring meaningful positions to the table when we convene in Copenhagen, and we continue to have that dialogue with them,” Crowley said.
The Obama Administration, he said, has worked very hard in the last few months to try to construct a position within the US.
“When Congress comes back into session in September, one of the crucial issues that they will face besides the obvious ones that they have on their plate right now is what to do about climate change, to establish a US position that we can take to Copenhagen later in the year,” Crowley said.
–Agencies