U.S. Praises India for Climate Change Partnership

November 13, 2003

NEW DELHI - A U.S. government delegation participating in the ongoing Climate Technology Bazaar in New Delhi has praised India for its cooperation with the United States in advancing the science and technology of climate change.

Speaking at a conference on U.S.-India Cooperation on Climate Change on November 11, U.S. senior climate negotiator and special representative Harlan Watson said: "Our bilateral partnership with India is particularly important because it allows us to share experiences and knowledge to advance climate change science and technology."

Watson said the U.S. is working with India on 18 initiatives that fall into two broad categories: Energy and Technology, and Science and Environment. Dr. Watson informed that the U.S. and India are jointly participating in several U.S.-led international science and technology initiatives and that India will participate in next week's Ministerial meeting in Washington on the International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy to address the technological, financial, and institutional barriers to hydrogen and develop internationally recognized technology standards to speed market penetration of new hydrogen-based technologies.

Congratulating the Government of India for its emphasis on the importance of technology by hosting the Technology Bazaar in New Delhi , Dr. Watson said President Bush has highlighted the importance of international cooperation to develop an effective and efficient global response to the complex and long-term challenge of climate change. "In the past two years, the U.S. has established bilateral climate change partnerships with 13 other countries and regions, of which India is one of our earliest partners," he said.

In his inaugural address at the conference, the U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires Robert O. Blake said the U.S. Mission to India , in cooperation with many different Indian partners including the Ministry of Environment and Forests and CII, has been energetic in promoting strategies that reduce greenhouse gases.

"Today, approximately 11.3 million tons of carbon dioxide have been avoided in India through such programs, via thermal efficiency improvements, clean coal technologies, and biomass-based power generation. Institutions have also been strengthened so that these strategies can be carried forward and expanded in the future. Much of this success has been due to the hard work of our colleagues in the U.S. Department of Energy and our partners in the National Thermal Power Corporation," Blake said.