ABSTRACT
Energy poverty is frequently mobilized as a normative argument in international negotiations. India has always been particularly outspoken in this respect, taking the lead of the G77 and also of the BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India, China) (Michaelowa and Michaelowa, 2012). Explicitly or implicitly, the argument stands behind India’s request that industrialized countries should support, or at least not impede India’s and other developing and emerging countries’ quest for economic growth and their striving for energy security. According to International Energy Agency (IEA) statistics, in 2010, 66 percent of the Indian population used traditional biomass for cooking, and at least 25 percent did not have access to electricity (IEA, 2014).2 Generally, India thus strongly opposes any emissionsrelated commitments for emerging economies.
