Low carbon emission figures are misleading

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Low carbon emission figures are misleading
With reference to the Q&A (Aug 5) with Jairam Ramesh, India’s rapid growth has seen its carbon emissions rise over the past few years. Even so, its per capita emission rate for 2006 of 0.37 metric tonnes was well below the global average of 1.25. But these are misleading figures. A large section of our population is poor which increases the denominator and drags the average down. But those in a higher socio-economic bracket emit as much carbon as people in some western countries. These people must be conditioned to low-carbon lifestyles. The problem here is that we believe in rights without duties. The former without the latter are irrelevant, however. And we do have a duty to our planet as a whole. Sanjay Singh Thakur, INDORE