Climatologists, economists and, most of all, farmers are now watching the situation with some trepidation. They are hoping this is just a temporary blip and not a repeat of the sudden rise in temperatures in February 2005 that affected the wheat crop in northern India's grain bowl and resulted in a 7% loss in crop yield. That shortfall, in fact, led to embarrassing imports, a rise in domestic prices and consumer (read: voter) stress.

Officially, the Indian government takes an indifferent or even nonchalant-sounding position on climate change. The official view is “we did not create the problem, you did, and you find a solution”. It is mostly a negotiation position. Indian public opinion by and large, and not just environmentalists or the media, is quite concerned about the issue. There is widespread awareness of the problems climate change is causing: the melting of Himalayan glaciers, erratic monsoons and shortening winters. Over the past decade, India has seen fewer total rainy days during its four-month monsoon, but some days of unprecedented downpour. In 2005, for example, Mumbai was drowned as never before as 94 cm of rain, which fell in one day. 60% of the season's rain came in 24 hours. The flooding left 750 people dead. In 2006, several parts of western India saw occasional cloudbursts during the monsoons, followed by long dry spells.

This is disastrous for a country which relies on the monsoon for most of its water needs and where rivers are already shallow with silting. These shorter, sharper monsoon sessions result in faster run-off, aggravating an already serious water situation.

So nobody who matters in India would take climate change issues lightly. But there is a great deal of cynicism about the way the advanced nations, particularly the U.S., are addressing the issue. Indian officials, as well as environmental activists, point out that the developed countries, led by the US, are the biggest carbon-dioxide generators and cannot now put pressure on the developing nations, particularly China and India, to slow down their own growth to save the world while the Americans build and drive bigger and bigger SUVs and Hummers.

Expect, therefore, a tough stance from India on climate change negotiations for the next Kyoto phase starting in 2012. Not only will it resist any slowdown in its own growth or change its plans to set up new energy plants -- many of them coal-based as India is the third largest coal producer in the world -- but it won't be silly or unrealistic either. Indian establishment as well as the intelligentsia is sensitive to climate change issues and will be willing to move towards a resolution, but in a manner they consider fair and practical.

Expect, therefore, unrelenting demands for emission-cuts by developed countries and also generous compensation to those on the growth curve now, notably India and China, for curbing their emissions by using greener technologies or more expensive fuels.