India will support the Group of 20 leaders for retiring subsidies on fossil fuels over ?a period of time?, but has refused to commit a timeline.
?As a policy objective, we need to rationalise energy prices, but there are large sections of Indian population, for whose energy requirements we should be sensitive to,? Shyam Saran, special envoy to the Prime Minister on climate change told reporters in Pittsburgh.
In the G20 Summit on Global Financial Crisis and the World Economy climate change and its financing have emerged as a major agenda item.
While emission reduction targets will not be discussed in the G-20 Summit here, Saran made it clear that New Delhi would not bind itself to any absolute targets similar to those of developed countries as the latter are obliged to do so under the UN framework. He said India was ready to list the actions taken unilaterally-both in mitigation and adaptation- in its National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change.
?These are different from absolute reduction targets,? he added. Saran also said India did not want the G20 to become a forum for negotiations on climate change. ?We are very clear that the only negotiating platform on climate change and climate finance should be the UNFCC,? he said.
Over 180 countries are expected to meet in Copenhagen to thrash out a new deal on climate change in December under the UN framework.
Saran said if India were to do more on climate change, it would require enabling support both in terms of financial resources and technology support. ?Otherwise, it will impact our growth. And this position is well understood by our developed partners,? he said.