LONDON — With a new U.N. climate treaty to be considered in Copenhagen in December, the developed world and the emerging economies are trying to bridge their differences on how to curb greenhouse-gas emissions that cause global warming. The United States wants developing countries like India and China to agree to specific reduction targets on the emissions produced by their galloping economies.
India argues that this would hurt its economic growth and wants the industrialized world to curb its pollution as well as fund new technologies in the developing world. Even as most countries see the need for an agreement at Copenhagen, India has made it clear that it cannot accept legally binding limits on carbon emissions.
Although around 80 percent of world growth in carbon emissions is coming from fast-growing economies like India and China, India has argued that even if India's economy continues to grow at current levels for the next decade or two, its per capita emissions will still be below those of developed countries.