The Kyoto Protocol agreed that all developed countries would reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.6 per cent and bring them down to the 1990 levels by 2008. The rules by which the developed countries could lower costs of meeting their targets by reducing emissions through flexibility mechanisms will probably be worked out during the week-long Bonn meet.

According to a spokesperson of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), developed countries have been deeply concerned about the economic implications of this rapid transition to alower-emission economy, including potential impact on trade competitiveness. ``The final crunch will come only at the Hague meeting in November 2000 when the final results will have to satisfy the major industrial countries, trigger their ratification of the protocol and offer incentives to developing countries,'' said Micheal Z Cutajar, executive secretary of the convention, in a press statement recently.

It is exactly against this kind of advantage that the developed countries hope to derive out of the convention that Indian has been protesting against. Says Anju Sharma, head of the Centre for Science and Environment's Global Climate Department, and a delegate for the Bonn Convention: ``India has to toughen its stand and bring the issue to a political level rather than leave it at the bureaucratic levels of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Ministry of External Affairs.'' She points out that during the Kyoto Protocol negotiations, US president Bill Clinton and vice president Al Gore were at thehead of the talks and pressuring the other heads of states to submit to their point of view.

In the US, the industry has already got together and is lobbying against the pressure to cut down emission by 5.6 per cent by 2008 as it will radically affect their business. ``In India, the issue has not even left the corridors of the MoE and MEA, with the industry being blissfully unaware of the impact that it will have on the trade,'' says Sharma.

The developed countries are working at a joint implementation and clean development mechanism (CDM). ``The CDM will promote sustainable development by encouraging developing-country projects that avoid emissions or strengthen adaptation to climate change impacts for which the developed countries, financing these projects, will receive credit against their targets,'' according to the UNFCC spokesperson. ``Reading between the lines, this means that for planting forests in India, the US or other developed countries can take credit and emit that much more greenhousegases,'' explains Sharma.

The level of carbon dioxide emission is an indicator of lifestyles: The more developed a country, the higher the carbon dioxide emission. The per capita emission of greenhouse gases by one US citizen is equal to 25 Indians, 125 Bangladeshis and 250 Maldivians.

``So reducing the emission means that developing countries will suffer in terms of their trade and economy as the protocol is clearly loaded against developing countries. India must take a tough stand and continue to keep away from signing the protocol under US pressure to ensure it fair share of development and industrialisation,'' says Sharma.