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The online Spiegel here writes that India has no plans of cooperating when it comes to CO2 reductions: “In India economic development comes before climate protection. The country is massively embarking on coal-fired power.”

Coal before climate

The German weekly writes that the country has 360 million people suffering under grinding poverty and 400 million people living in homes that are not even connected to the power grid. With such pressing problems it is no surprise that climate change does not have top priority for Prime Minister Modi.

That’s bad news for the proponents of massive global CO2 cuts and (expensive) green energies. Spiegel maintains that India will play a decisive role on whether or not climate protection targets get met. Currently the country is seeing rapid economic growth and its emissions of CO2 are accelerating like never before. Coal burning is set to double by 2019, Spiegel writes. CO2 emissions are projected to almost triple by 2030. That’s huge for a country with well over a billion people.

India rejects requests to cut back

The flagship German weekly also adds that India is not about to accept any requests from prosperous industrial countries that it scale back its coal-burning, especially in view that per capita CO2 emission is India is a mere fraction of developed western countries (see Spiegel’s first chart) and that is the western countries who have burned coal for 150 years and are responsible for alleged climate problems.

Spiegel writes:

India accuses the industrial countries of hypocrisy when it comes the environmental protection – a sentiment that many other developing countries have expressed.”

Industrial countries must pony up 155 billion a year!

Modi’s government is not going to accept any deal unless the industrial countries pony up big time, Spiegel describes. New Dehli estimates that just reducing the intensity of Indian CO2 emissions will cost 155 billion euros – per year! A number that Spiegel says is somewhat overblown and for the purpose of negotiation.

Expect industrial countries in Europe and North America to commit to substantial cuts, but developing countries to get a free pass. Globally CO2 cutbacks remain a distant fantasy and will continue their growth unhindered.