Earth is under threat from global warming and most of Asia, Africa and Latin America is facing "adaptation apartheid."
This is the message of the latest Human Development report, 2007-2008, which was released on Tuesday by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in New Delhi. The global release was in Brazil
The report, "Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a divided world," calls for setting up of a multilateral agency for climate-proofing the poorer nations from global warming.
It also calls for more investments in integrating the adaptation efforts with poverty alleviation goals. The report marks a shift from the earlier focus on HIV/AIDS.
While it reprimands developed nations for not doing enough to cut carbon emissions, it says the way forward for developing countries like India which has become the fourth-largest carbon emitter is to decarbonise its economy.
It says adoption of clean coal technologies by energy-starved India will allow it to "change its emissions trajectory" while meeting its energy demand.
Since coal is likely to meet most of India's increased energy demand, coal-based emissions are projected to rise from 734 million tonnes (mt) of carbon dioxide in 2004 to 1,078 mt by 2015 and 1,714 mt by 2030.
This is due to low efficiency plants. Citing research by the Planning Commission, the report says India can generate the same amount of power with one-third less fuel.
The decarbonisation of growth will need an annualised increase in investment of about $5 billion for 2012-2017, it says, citing a study by The Energy Resource Institute (TERI). It says rich nations have failed in their responsibility.
The report, which reiterates the position of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the world cannot take more than a 2 degree increase in temperature and 450 part per million carbon emissions, says India and China are emitting more and more carbon and hence should look at a growth strategy that is less dependent on carbon emissions.
