As the global debate on climate change heats up, scholars around the world argue in favour of defining the entitlement of “carbon space” separately for developed and developing nations in per capita terms. Kandeh K Yumkella, director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), however, believes that the entire concept of allocating carbon space is flawed. The focus should be on how to make new-age mitigation technologies available to developing nations like India, he tells Sudheer Pal Singh in an exclusive interview. Edited excerpts:
What has been UNIDO’s focus in recent years in combating climate change?
We have been acting for about 20 years now trying to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) around the world. We have been a major implementer of the Montreal Protocol, which tries to reduce Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) like Chloro Fluoro Carbons (CFCs), and have done several projects around the world including in countries like China and Mexico. In a number of these projects, we have tried to introduce technological innovations as we try to reduce ODS and global energy use within these countries. More recently, in the last ten years, we have been more active in trying to facilitate transfer of renewable energy technologies to developing countries. We have introduced small hydro technologies in a number of African countries ranging from 200 kilowatts to 1 megawatt for green off-grid solutions in communities. From India, for example, we have tried to get technologies for biomass gasification for transfer to Africa and a lot of Indian institutes have been trying to help us in that. We have also set up a centre in Turkey that is working on hydrogen technology and we have got help from some Indian institutes in getting hydrogen fuel cells and so on. Finally, we have also done a substantial amount of substitutional capacity building. We have established a Solar Research Centre in Guangzhou province in China, which will facilitate investments in that country in solar technology. We have also recently set up the first Regional Renewable Energy Research Centre for Africa, which was inaugurated in June this year.
Behind these initiatives, how big is the realisation that developing countries should be discouraged from following the path that developed nations followed?
We are saying to the developing countries that they can achieve their industrialisation on an accelerated growth path but it can be on a green economy trajectory. We believe this is possible and that is why we are supporting the Delhi International Renewable Energy Conference (DIREC). With renewable power usage, it is possible to promote green energy technologies. It is costly but we believe that it is possible and we want developing countries to look at these possibilities and the opportunities to transform their own energy use. The cost is worth the long-term benefit. For example, in the past six months alone, we have seen a significant drop in the cost of solar technologies.
Do you think developing nations like India are sufficiently sensitive about their role and responsibility towards the new-age emission reduction agenda? Does India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change adequately address the current climate crisis?
The developing nations are doing as much as they can, given the constraints of financing and the willingness of countries that have these technologies to transfer. India, for example, would love to do much more. India wants to deploy renewable technologies immediately. This is why India has been a leader in the global climate change negotiations, emphasising technology cooperation and transfer, and the increasing use of financing avenues. We know that India and a few other countries suffered during the financial crisis because, suddenly, some of the financial institutions reduced the amount of funds that were going to energy projects. But I can tell you that India’s ambition is much bigger.
Currently, there is growing debate on equal per capita carbon dioxide emissions. Some scholars believe that the per capita entitlement of the available “carbon space” should be lower for industrialised nations because they have already done their share of the harm to the environment. What is your view?
The debate is about countries having an equitable share in this space. I do not like this argument. I think it is an argument that encourages emissions. I prefer the discussion that focuses on how we help countries access carbon mitigation technologies so that we can decarbonise energy systems. I do not like it when people begin to argue about the share of carbon space. It is wrong focus. Sharing carbon space encourages people to do business-as-usual; rather, they should think about how to get people in developing nations access to technology and financing.
What should be the model of the carbon tax that some scholars have begun advocating to discourage irresponsible carbon usage? How effective do you think the concept can be?
We need a carbon tax. We need a price on carbon if we really want to see the flow of investments in renewable energy. Different countries have used different taxation levels. For example, Norway has a $50 per tonne tax on carbon and it has worked well for that country. Norway has had carbon taxation for over ten years. Every company working in that country has been able to factor that in. It is making initiatives for low-carbon technologies more profitable compared to fossil-based technologies. Sweden, too, has carbon taxation now. I know from my experience that several countries are currently looking at carbon taxation. You can begin by lower levels of taxation and increase them gradually. But it is necessary. You can use that tax not for financing but for subsidising renewable energy systems. India, for instance, has some cheaper renewable technologies and we are trying hard to transfer them to Africa.
Also, trade-related discussions on sustainable technologies are important. We are trying to transfer Indian LED (light-emitting diode) technology and Chinese solar power technologies to Ghana. But these suddenly become expensive because the governments impose various tariffs on transfer.
What are the areas of cooperation between India and UNIDO on these lines?
Apart from small hydro technology, the cooperation that we have with the Indian government is in energy efficiency, which is just as important as the deployment of renewable energy technologies. There is a significant waste of the energy that is generated in transmission of power in India. Also, there is significant wastage of energy within the industry and households. That is why the Indian government has set a goal of achieving at least 30 per cent energy efficiency in the near future. This is important because it means energy audits within companies and transferring technologies within factories. India has a number of small industrial units but they are major users of energy.