Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09NEWDELHI270
2009-02-12 13:20:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy New Delhi
Cable title:
CLIMATE POSITIONS HARDEN AT 2009 DELHI SUSTAINABLE
how-toVZCZCXRO0159 RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHHM RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHNEH RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHPW RUEHTM RUEHTRO DE RUEHNE #0270/01 0431320 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 121320Z FEB 09 FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5379 INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC RUCPDC/NOAA NMFS WASHINGTON DC RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 000270
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR OES/FO, OES/PCI, OES/EGC, AND SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ENRG ECON TSPL TRGY KSCA KGHG IN
SUBJECT: CLIMATE POSITIONS HARDEN AT 2009 DELHI SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 000270
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR OES/FO, OES/PCI, OES/EGC, AND SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ENRG ECON TSPL TRGY KSCA KGHG IN
SUBJECT: CLIMATE POSITIONS HARDEN AT 2009 DELHI SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, held
February 5 - 7, 2009, focused solely on climate change and the road
to the December 2009 UNFCCC climate negotiations in Copenhagen,
Denmark. DSDS 2009 attracted fewer current heads of state than in
2008 but more big names including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon,
Senator John Kerry, who participated via satellite, UNFCCC Executive
Secretary Yvo de Boer, and Tony Blair who provided a taped message.
Government of India participation was sporadic, provided nothing
beyond a hardening of already stated climate policy, and was plagued
by multiple last minute cancellations. The conference received
little media attention and with few exceptions, did little to move
the climate debate beyond the entrenched positions of developed and
developing countries. Although there was some optimism regarding
the new American administration, it was tempered with skepticism as
to how far the United States will be willing to go to address
climate change. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (U) The Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) is an annual
conference hosted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI),an
Indian NGO whose Director General is IPCC chairman Dr. R.K.
Pachauri. Dr. Pachauri is intent on making DSDS the climate
equivalent of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos,
Switzerland. In fact, many of the participants at DSDS had just
come from Davos. The theme of DSDS 2009 was "Towards Copenhagen:
an equitable and ethical approach." The conference focused on what
a post-Kyoto protocol agreement on climate change should look like.
International speakers included: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon,
who received TERI's Sustainable Development Leadership Award;
Senator John Kerry; Finnish President Halonen; Ethiopian Prime
Minister Zenawi; Kiribati President Tong; Norwegian Prime Minister
Stoltenberg; UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer; several former
world leaders such as Tony Blair and Kofi Annan, who participated
via sA)aEMQo%