China, India Urged to Curb Energy Use

A girl from a poorer neighborhood sits near burning plastic waste on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2007. In India, melting Himalayan glaciers cause floods, while raising a more daunting long-term prospect: the drying up of life-sustaining rivers. The two economic giants, India and China, are becoming increasingly aware of the effects of rising temperatures. (AP Photo/Channi Anand) (Channi Anand - AP)

With climate change taking on a new urgency, the wealthy developed countries may be willing to lend a hand.

"I think we will see increased financial resources being made available bilaterally and multilaterally," Steiner said.

China and India say they are doing what they can to clean up. Beijing is closing down some of its worst polluting factories and power plants. It also has set an ambitious goal of cutting energy consumption per unit of economic output by 20 percent by 2010, a target some experts doubt China will reach.

"China will make its due contribution to emissions reduction and energy conservation, so please rest assured that our word is good," said Xie Zhenhua, who is leading Beijing's delegation to Bali.

Some delegates will try to convince China and India that certain policy changes would be cost effective, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

As incomes rise, a new middle class is buying air conditioners and refrigerators, which are generally much less energy efficient than in the West.

If China imposed western-level efficiency standards for those appliances alone, "China would save electricity on a yearly basis from 2015 which is equivalent to building the Three Gorges dam," said Birol, referring to China's huge hydropower project.

Scientists predict that India's 4,500-mile coastline will be hard-hit by storm surges and rising sea levels that could displace millions of people. A major worry is that shrinking Himalayan glaciers will threaten the great rivers that provide water for vast agriculture regions that feed a sixth of the world's population.

The government, however, has a difficult balancing act in a country with 400 million people without access to electricity.

"We need to find pragmatic and practical solutions that would include mitigation and adaptation strategies with fair burden sharing," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who will lead his country's delegation to Bali. "We're looking for a solution that does not perpetuate poverty in developing countries."