Greenpeace activists in India stage a demo asking the US to check greenhouse emissions

Activists of Greenpeace, a voluntary global organisation working for the protection and conservation of the environment along with like-minded NGOs, stage a demonstration in India's national capital New Delhi to draw the attention of the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the US to check green house emissions in her country.

NEW DELHI, INDIA (JULY 20, 2009) ANI- Activists of Greenpeace, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to the protection and conservation of environment along with volunteers of a few other like-minded NGOs, staged a demonstration in India's national capital New Delhi on Monday (July 20).
The objective of this poster demonstration was to implore upon the visiting United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to check the green house emissions in her country.

The demonstrators cited the suffering of the victims of the cyclone 'Aila' which they attributed to global warming.

Further they said that the United States roughly produces one-quarter of all global greenhouse gas emissions as such it should instantly take steps to check the spate of emissions from its land.

"We have come here to tell Hillary Clinton that the Aila (cyclone) victims in Sundarbans are not responsible for what they have gone through. The emissions in United States have caused global warming and climatic changes due to a great extent. We want the United States to come up with deep emission cuts and then it should come to India and ask us to do something on climate change," said Siddharth Pathak, Climate Energy Campaigner, Greenhouse, Indian chapter.

The activists also said that the Indian youth is aware of the scenario and making efforts to check emissions which the United States too must emulate.

"We want the American government to take action on climate change just like the Indian youths are taking action here," added Rewa Prakash, an activist of Indian Youth Network, New Delhi.

Hillary Clinton, currently on a five-day visit to India, while speaking at an award-winning 'Green' building on the outskirts of New Delhi on Sunday (July 19) had said the challenge was to create a global framework that recognised the different needs and the responsibilities of developed and developing countries.

She had also observed that the United States and other countries which have been the major historic emitters of green house gases should shoulder the biggest burden for cleaning up the environment.

The United States wants India to agree to limit its carbon emissions ahead of the signing of a new UN climate treaty in Copenhagen in December.

At Copenhagen, more than 190 nations will try to set emission cuts targets to 2020.

India is of the view that rich nations are to be blamed the most for climate change and should make deeper cuts before asking others to do so.

It is reluctant to put any brakes on industry, to ensure its economy keeps up growth estimated at 7 percent this year with an eye to returning to 9 percent.