US-India deal raises Copenhagen hopes

The possibility of a commitment to strong action at the UN talks in Copenhagen has moved a step closer following a pledge by the US and India to take joint action in fighting climate change.

The move comes only a week after China’s president Hu Jintao made a similar promise to reduce emissions, meaning the world’s top three emitters have now committed to act at the UN summit, even though they have yet to reveal actual targets.

The US and India have agreed to a new “green partnership”, under which India has agreed to take what the White House described as “vigorous action to combat climate change”.

Such action will be taken in return for financial assistance and technology transfer arrangements provided by industrialised nations to help the country move away from coal-based electricity generation and towards cleaner energy sources.

The US government is also believed to have committed $100m (£60m) per annum over the next five years to help fund the creation of a joint research centre. The aim is to accelerate the development of carbon capture and storage technologies as well as more energy-efficient ones.

The two countries’ national laboratories also plan to work together on various solar and wind energy initiatives and the US is helping India to set up a local version of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate industry and promote better air and water quality.

While India has so far resisted international pressure to adopt legally binding emissions targets in pre-Copenhagen discussions, this week its cabinet approved a plan to triple solar generation to 20GW by 2022 and to boost incentives for the development of the sector.

Over recent weeks, Brazil, Indonesia and South Korea have all committed to such targets and it is rumoured that China may follow suit at a summit with the European Union on 30 November in Nanjing.

Such a move could pave the way for the US to announce its own targets, although Beijing’s commitment would need to be strong enough to convince wavering US senators that it was prepared to move beyond business as usual.

But recent reports have indicated that China may be scaling back its efforts in this regard and that proposed figures are likely to be low relative to expected economic growth rates.

Frances Beinecke, president of US pressure group the Natural Resources Defense Council, welcomed the move.

"This announcement will help set the stage for both countries to curb carbon pollution and unleash investments in clean energy sources," she said. " Addressing climate change is of interest to both countries."